Going to Atlantic City? Check this site to see where the crime is

Atlantic City police have a new website to keep the public informed about where crime is occurring inside A.C.

Atlantic City police Spokesman Sgt. Kevin Fair said CrimeMapping.com allows residents and visitors to track crime and where it is occurring.

"It is just going to allow us to be more transparent with our residents and visitors to Atlantic City, in crime that does occur in Atlantic City," he said.

CrimeMapping.com takes police "call for service" data from the records management system, populates a map with the individual and specific crimes that occur in the city. It shows the user the date and time a crime occurred and what block it was on. It also lists the crime itself, and the incident number.

Fair said users also sign up to get email alerts if a crime occurs in Atlantic City. They can put the address of their home, the address of their child's school, their work, and they can see if crime is occurring in and around their community.

"Our hope is that, in the event that people do see crime that is occurring in their neighborhood, it is a two-way street. We need the community as much as the community needs us," Fair said.

Sgt. Fair says Atlantic City has been using technology more and more, with innovations such as "shot spotter" which instantly alerts police to gunfire. He said the tools appear to be showing results.

"Over the last several years, we have really stepped up our game when it comes and relates to different ways to combat crime," Fair said. "Through the first three-quarters of this year, crime has been reduced in Atlantic City, and hopefully we are just going to continue on that pace."

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5.