Sunday, November 18, 2007
Crime Maps Pt. 2
Updated
A recent YRHT post on the NOPD's claims about the city's safety made me wonder if a violent crime, of which I had some personal knowledge, showed up on the city's crime maps. It didn't.
So, I decided to check two other daylight crimes that I had read about, two that happened near Tulane University:
If you check the top of the Tulane link, you'll see that these incidents were reported to the NOPD, so they should, theoretically, appear on NOPD crime maps.
Checking the first (from the top, second chronologically), nothing on the October NOPD crime map for Willow St. & Nashville Ave., same result for Willow and Jefferson.
A search for Plum & Pine does yield:
One out of three violent crimes that I checked were publicized. If you check the NOPD crime maps, the city does seem relatively safe.
In a comment on my earlier post, Schroeder wrote:
I don't want give the impression that Schroeder was defending the crime maps, he wasn't. However, the one crime that did appear was the first committed. Which leads to question, if the crime maps take a few weeks to prepare, why the rush to publicize them. After all, NOPD crime maps aren't ACoE reports. When residents look at the maps, they expect to see all reported crime for the area checked, for the time period reported.
As to the lump on my skull, if you saw me now, almost three weeks later, you wouldn't believe anything had happened to me. But I still have most of my hair, there are two sizable scars under my bangs. There's also a $2516.38 emergency room bill on my desk. Don't worry, I have insurance; I only received the bill because I didn't have my insurance card in my wallet. Of course, I will have to pay some of that, as well as the two $25 copays for follow-up visits to an ENT specialist and a neurosurgeon. I also missed three full days of work and two partial days for the follow-up visits. Of course, the police officer who responded wouldn't know any of that. All he saw was a lucid victim who would apparently be all right. A lucid victim who was covered with blood, who had been immobilized, as a precaution, by the EMT's and who was in obvious need of medical attention.
It occurs to me that, with a little tweaking, this could just as easily be a post about health care costs as crime. It does me make wonder what kind of victims' assistance program the city has, if it still has one at all.
Update:
Mominem reports a similar experience in the comments. WDSU trumpets a recent report that indicates that New Orleans may not be all that dangerous. But can you believe the crime statistics that the report is based on? To test a little further, I went back to the Tulane/Loyola site and scrolled down to next reported gun crime:
That incident also seems to have disappeared. That incident doesn't seem to have been part of a bad joke involving some Loyola students, that you might recall from October. Solved crimes don't disappear.
Apparently, I can't set the link to an earlier date. Doubters will need have to adjust the dates themselves to test my assertion.
A recent YRHT post on the NOPD's claims about the city's safety made me wonder if a violent crime, of which I had some personal knowledge, showed up on the city's crime maps. It didn't.
So, I decided to check two other daylight crimes that I had read about, two that happened near Tulane University:
# October 26, 2007 SIMPLE ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTED ORAL SEXUAL BATTERY, 10-26-07 @ 8:45 A.M., Willow between Jefferson and Nashville. Subject demanded victim's bag and money, took cell phone, then attempted to force victim to perform oral sex on him. A passing vehicle caused a distraction and allowed victim to escape.
# October 11, 2007 OFF CAMPUS ARMED ROBBERY 10/10/2007 AT 1:20 P.M. A Tulane staff member was walking east on Plum St. when she observed 2 unidentified black males standing on the sidewalk just ahead of her. As she neared the suspects, one charged her brandishing a black gun and demanded her purse. The suspect ripped the purse from the victim's shoulder and ran toward Pine St. where he entered a green SUV and fled north on Pine St.
If you check the top of the Tulane link, you'll see that these incidents were reported to the NOPD, so they should, theoretically, appear on NOPD crime maps.
Checking the first (from the top, second chronologically), nothing on the October NOPD crime map for Willow St. & Nashville Ave., same result for Willow and Jefferson.
A search for Plum & Pine does yield:
J1212807 Plum St & Pine St Robbery (Armed Robbery, Gun) Oct 10 2007 1:30pm
One out of three violent crimes that I checked were publicized. If you check the NOPD crime maps, the city does seem relatively safe.
In a comment on my earlier post, Schroeder wrote:
It isn't important to notify citizens of crimes until a supervisor can sign off with 100 percent certainty that you really have a lump on your skull, and that confirmation can take weeks.
I don't want give the impression that Schroeder was defending the crime maps, he wasn't. However, the one crime that did appear was the first committed. Which leads to question, if the crime maps take a few weeks to prepare, why the rush to publicize them. After all, NOPD crime maps aren't ACoE reports. When residents look at the maps, they expect to see all reported crime for the area checked, for the time period reported.
As to the lump on my skull, if you saw me now, almost three weeks later, you wouldn't believe anything had happened to me. But I still have most of my hair, there are two sizable scars under my bangs. There's also a $2516.38 emergency room bill on my desk. Don't worry, I have insurance; I only received the bill because I didn't have my insurance card in my wallet. Of course, I will have to pay some of that, as well as the two $25 copays for follow-up visits to an ENT specialist and a neurosurgeon. I also missed three full days of work and two partial days for the follow-up visits. Of course, the police officer who responded wouldn't know any of that. All he saw was a lucid victim who would apparently be all right. A lucid victim who was covered with blood, who had been immobilized, as a precaution, by the EMT's and who was in obvious need of medical attention.
It occurs to me that, with a little tweaking, this could just as easily be a post about health care costs as crime. It does me make wonder what kind of victims' assistance program the city has, if it still has one at all.
Update:
Mominem reports a similar experience in the comments. WDSU trumpets a recent report that indicates that New Orleans may not be all that dangerous. But can you believe the crime statistics that the report is based on? To test a little further, I went back to the Tulane/Loyola site and scrolled down to next reported gun crime:
September 13, 2007 September 12, 2007 at 11:56 P.M. AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WITH A FIREARM in the 700 Block Of Broadway St. A black Chevy Malibu, unknown license plate, stopped on the street close to the victims. The vehicle was occupied by two black males. The passenger of the vehicle produced a black semi-automatic handgun and attempted to get the victims to approach the vehicle. The suspect pulled the trigger but the weapon did not discharge. The suspect said he was just kidding. The vehicle then fled southbound on Broadway St. The suspect was described as a black male between the ages of 18 and 25 with a shaved head, wearing a black pullover t-shirt.
That incident also seems to have disappeared. That incident doesn't seem to have been part of a bad joke involving some Loyola students, that you might recall from October. Solved crimes don't disappear.
Apparently, I can't set the link to an earlier date. Doubters will need have to adjust the dates themselves to test my assertion.
Labels: New Orleans crime, NOPD crime maps
