The new map system, which takes effect Friday, will contain statistics from the Columbus Division of Police and off-campus crime reports. Credit: Danny Fogarty | Assistant Campus Editor
Ohio State will replace off-campus neighborhood safety notices with a new community crime map, the university announced Thursday.
The change to crime reporting follows a third-party assessment of the state of off-campus crime and security. The new map system, which takes effect Friday, will contain statistics from the Columbus Division of Police and off-campus crime reports, according to a university press release.
Ohio State will continue to utilize public safety notices and a daily crime log for on-campus crime, according to the release.
In the new map tool, users can enter their address to see reported crimes within up to a five mile radius, according to a video guide for the crime map. Icons note where crimes from three categories — assaults, robberies and burglaries — have occurred inside that radius within the last 30 days.
Users can click on the icons to learn further information such as the report number, date and time of the crime and the exact location where it took place. There is also an option to submit an anonymous tip regarding any given crime on the map, according to the video.
To be alerted of off-campus crimes, users can opt into receiving updates to the map. These alerts can be customized, allowing users to specify a preferred frequency as well as a radius — from 1000 feet to five miles.
The map also has an analytics tab, which includes trends and heat maps indicating times in which crime typically occurs, according to the video.
