New Detroit crime map shows when and where crimes were committed

DETROIT (WJBK) - As they say, knowledge is power. 

The Detroit Police Department is arming its residents with everything they need to fight crime. They just launched a new tool online, the Detroit Crime Viewer. The tool, in its beta phase right now, allows residents to easily see what crimes have been committed, and where. 

The report shows locations, arrest categories, reports numbers and charge descriptions of incidents that happened within the city limits. You can filter results by date, time, crime type or select locations by precinct, zip code, neighborhood or council district. 

Or, if you just want to search around, the map is interactive as you move through the streets of Detroit. 

You can check out the tool online here. 

Leslie Lott has lived in Detroit for 15 years. She can see both the pros and cons of a tool like this. 

"The negative thing I can see happening is people might avoid areas of the city because they will see crime tends to happen in those areas, and there may be a negative impact on property value, et cetera," she says. "But, I think citizens having access to more information hopefully will cause more community involvement and perhaps more community patroling."