Aiken Announces Way To Check Your Neighborhood’s Criminal History

Aiken, SC—If you’re planning to move to an area, or you’d like to know what happens on your block after dark, it’s now all just a click away. Lt. Phil Kestin is checking out neighborhood crime in Aiken, South Carolina, and he’s not even leaving the office to get a view of what kind of things are happening.

Lt. Phil Kestin, Aiken Department of Public Safety (ADPS): “It started over the last few months, we’re still tweaking it.“

On the city of Aiken’s website, ADPS has added a new link: A neighborhood “Crime Analyzer”. Click on it, and a map of Aiken will pop up.

Lt. Phil Kestin: “Pick out a specific neighborhood.“

Find your street, and click the number closest to it, then select a time period. What shows up is a detailed list of crimes that have been reported…from 5 years ago to last month.  It’s a way to keep an eye on what’s happening, from where your kids play to where your family lives.

The tool is also getting praise for those looking to move into a new neighborhood.

Lt. Phil Kestin: “We’re having people call from out of town that are looking at a specific neighborhood, and it’s just a very fast way for people to go on the website…and see how the neighborhood stacks up to other neighborhoods and compare it to other neighborhoods.“

The charts make it easier to see what’s happening over time: this neighborhood saw a spike in crime back in may.  Over time, this neighorhood’s crime has gone up, and this neighborhood, saw the most crime last year.

There are still some things to be worked out as neighborhoods grow, more will be added to the online map, and in the meantime, the creators here want your input:

Lt. Phil Kestin: “It’s still in its test phase. We’re trying to get input from citizens, so any input they have as they go to the website, we’re encouraging them to give us the feedback. So far it’s been good, so far it’s been pretty good.“

Click here to learn more about the Crime Analyzer.