The Columbia Missourian launched an application last week called CoMo Crime Tracker to give readers the ability to find out how safe their neighborhoods are. The app allows users to search and browse through police reports based on location.
Roman Kolgushev is the application's creator and says it was created to consolidate crime information and to give readers a quick, easier way to access it.
"I think it's easy because it allows you to really quickly have a look at say your neighborhood or the school your kids go to or your work, you know the supermarkets you go to," Kolgushev said.
He also says it also gives readers the opportunity to read what the police are storing in their database, the reports they take and how they file those reports.
"It's also community service, I think personally," Kolgushev said. "Just explaining to the population in a very visual form how their police is working."
Missourian Health and public safety editor Katherine Reed collaborated with Kolgushev to help develop the application and says it will help the reporting aspect of the Missourian as well.
"But in terms of our ability to do reporting, it's such a great tool for us because we're going to be able to very easily look at that data and see what's going on in various places," Reed said.
Reed says the application was created for their readers and will help dispel the idea that violent crime is really bad in Columbia. She says that users will see there are more thefts and larceny than people likely expect.
The application's success was made possible thanks to computer programming and an automated email that is received from Columbia police on a daily basis. The email encompasses a list of reports taken by Columbia police officers within the last 28 days. The application was launched after two months of collaboration and will include all reported crimes except any involving rape, sexual assaults and/or juveniles. Those crimes are excluded from the Columbia Police Department database.
