Crime is something we all tend to monitor heavily, regardless of our daily intake of news. Now that I'm a married homeowner, I too tend to monitor crime in my area much more closely than I did previously. If there is a break-in around my neighborhood, I certainly want to know about it, so I can avoid any future conversations with my insurance company. Additionally, when it comes to higher-level crimes such as assault, I also want to stay in the know to better protect those living in my house. Recently, I found a pretty cool tool to do just that.

Newsbreak allows one to monitor news in their community by focusing on a localized area. All you have to do is input your zip code on their app, and you can see the latest articles published in your area. However, there is another tool in the app that can help you monitor crime more precisely. The Newsbreak app features a "crime map" that shows all the crime in your neighborhood in the last two weeks. They show up as little dots where the crime occurred, and each is color-coded to show what type of crime was reported. The red dots are for high-risk crimes, the orange dots are for medium-risk crimes, and the yellow dots represent low-level crimes. There is also a sex offender map included as well.

Indianapolis

Google Maps / Newsbreak
Google Maps / Newsbreak
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As one might expect, Indianapolis had quite a few dots on their map from May 7, 2024, to May 21, 2024. To my surprise, most of these appeared to be low- to medium-risk crimes, with disorderly conduct being the most reported. On the other hand, the high-risk crimes on the map include several cases of assault, with fire and arson also finding their way into the mix. Below, you can see the sex offender map for Indianapolis.

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Google Maps / Newsbreak
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Bloomington

Google Maps / Newsbreak
Google Maps / Newsbreak
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Much like Indianapolis, Bloomington also had several crime dots on their map from the previous two weeks. While several of the lower-risk cases seemed to be associated with disorderly conduct, there was a much higher level of theft and vandalism in Bloomington than in Indianapolis. In the high-risk crime category, assault seemed to be the primary crime reported. Below, you will find the sex offender map for Bloomington.

Google Maps / Newsbreak
Google Maps / Newsbreak
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Evansville

Google Maps / Newsbreak
Google Maps / Newsbreak
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To put your mind at ease, Evansville has had much less crime reported in the last two weeks than the other two cities. Most of the low-level crimes were classified as alcohol violations and vandalism. Like the other two cities, medium-risk and high-level-risk crimes were labeled as assault. That said, I was shocked at the number of criminals currently featured on the sex offender map. If you want details on each offender, you can click on the dots in the app to see not only their convictions but also their known aliases.

Google Maps / Newsbreak
Google Maps / Newsbreak
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While having this tool won't directly save you from crime, it will help you make informed decisions about where you buy a house, choose to work, or even where to exercise. When it comes to the crime map, I wouldn't let it scare you. Having lived in Indiana most of my life, I've personally found that you really have to go looking for crime in order to become a victim. That said, things can happen, so keeping a watchful eye could go a long way in keeping you and your family safe. You can download the app here.

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