Site brings policing to neighborhood level

LYNN – A new feature has been added to the Lynn Police Department’s website that allows the public to gain access to information happening in their specific neighborhood and to see the day to day activities of the department.The “police call log” link gives visitors the opportunity to access the goings-on for the past 10 days, which will be updated on a daily basis by the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to ensure the public has the most up to date information available.According to Lynn Police Chief John Suslak, the information will allow people in the community to see exactly what is transpiring on a daily basis.”I think the public has a natural curiosity about what is going on in their neighborhood and in the city,” he said. “Our goal is to provide as much information as possible, in a timely fashion that is publicly accessible 24/7.”In addition to making the information publicly available, Suslak said he hopes the service will in turn benefit the police department in solving crimes.”For example, if a resident sees there has been a B&E (breaking and entering) in his or her neighborhood, they may be more likely to call us when they see suspicious activity,” he said.Suslak thanked Public Information Officer Lt. William Sharpe for suggesting the new feature, and Det. Richard Frampton for making it accessible online.In addition to the new link, Suslak said the department hopes to add both monthly crime statistics and crime maps to the website as well.When accessing the call log online, the record number, the date and time of the incident, the type of incident and or disposition, and the address will be available.A brief overview of police terms is also available, as some of the language may appear foreign. More detailed information for the logs will reportedly be available soon.Within the “event type” field, there will be two variations of domestic incidents listed, either a 1 or a 2. The numbers distinguish between and ongoing domestic dispute (1) or a dispute that is not ongoing (2).The public can also take note of the numerous “check area” entries, which typically correspond to proactive activity on the part of officers addressing a specific problem or an ongoing problem area.Other entries that may appear unclear are the “serve pa” and “other serv”, which refer to domestic restraining orders, criminal summons, and subpoenas served on behalf of various courts in the state.For more information, visit www.lynnpolice.org