Two years ago, the Gardner Police Department began publishing an online crime map for public view. (The crime map lets citizens see criminal activity in their neighborhood. It also illustrates the type of criminal activity and the exact time it took place.) Citizens were provided access to the crime map through the City of Gardner’s website [b]www.gardnerkansas.gov/crime_map[/b].

While talking about the decision to give the public access to this map, [b]Gardner Police Chief[/b] Jim Pruetting expressed that the Gardner community is very safe, but not 100% crime-free. He called the Gardner Police Department’s decision to make the area crime map available to citizens an additional safety measure in keeping them informed about their neighborhood. This decision has led to citizens becoming more vigilant, as statistics show a considerable decrease in the city’s crime rate.

The police department also introduced two new online notification forms for citizens to report unlawful behavior - a traffic complaint form and a suspected narcotic activity form. [b]Jim Pruetting[/b] stated that because police officers cannot be in all places at all times, these new online resources would prove to be very helpful in keeping the city safe.

The implemented online crime map received a positive response, according to the Chief of Gardner police. Citizens are now able to easily access information about the type of criminal activity that has been reported in their neighborhood.