The Port Townsend Police Department this week debuts a new map charting the exact locations of property crime activity.

The PTPD last week issued a press release reminding people to lock their vehicles, due to a spurt of vehicle prowl reports (seven in the first two weeks of April, more than the rest of 2015 combined).

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader asked Detective Luke Bogues for more details, including locations.

It's a familiar question, Bogues said: The public wants to know where criminal activity is taking place. He looked into what it would take to create some type of map, and it turned out to be easier than expected. The map debuted April 20 as a regular feature on ptleader.com.

"Burglary and vehicle prowl are typically the crimes where we have criminals out searching for victims," Bogues told the Leader April 16. "This map is a tool for the community, so let's make it useful to them."

View the map at j.mp/ptcrime.

TYPES OF CRIME

The map identifies two types of crime: burglary and vehicle prowling. Those categories are divided into first-and second-degree burglary and residential burglary, and first-and second-degree vehicle prowling.

"The reason Vehicle Prowl 1 and Burglary 1 aren't listed is because we haven't had any this year," Bogues said of the map dated April 20. "If we have some, though, they'll show up."

The "pins" on the Google map are approximate locations of criminal activity that led to a case report and investigation. Criminal activity marked on the map does not indi-

cate whether or not a suspect has been located.

"The main thing to emphasize is this is actual case reports taken; this isn't incidents reported," Bogues said. "We respond to a lot of unfounded or noncriminal incidents."

Zoom in and see any general neighborhood in which criminal activity has taken place. Zoom in even farther to see each event's PTPD case number, which is based on date.

Check or uncheck the display boxes in the map key to focus on more recent time period, such as the past week. The key also includes links to the actual RCW statues for reference.

Circumstances such as the active/inactive nature of an investigation may determine whether or not a certain case is listed on this map, noted Patrick Fudally, PTPD public information officer.

MAP CREATION

Bogues built the map by exporting data from the department's internal records-keeping system to an Excel spreadsheet, which is then fed into Google maps. People with input on how to best use Google mapping tools could call Bogues at 360-390-4047 or email lbogues@cityofpt.us.

"It turns out our records system will export an Excel file and Google will import an Excel file," said Bogues, a former newspaper reporter who had been the PTPD's public information officer and is now detective and patrol officer. "It is an extra task, but it only takes a few minutes, and it should save time over a month, based on the number of phone calls we receive asking about property crime."

Bogues said that "based on how easy [the map] is to update," he intends to do so twice a month: mid-month, and month's end. He intends to update separately if there is a sudden spike in activity, such as multiple incidents the same day or two.

The PTPD's general advice about this type of crime is consistent: Lock your doors, vehicles and buildings.

"We have waves of this that happens," Bogues said of vehicle prowls and residential burglaries. "Frequently, we respond to somebody's house, and they tell me how they never lock their doors and they eventually ask me, 'Can you believe this happened in Port Townsend?' and I say, 'Yeah, I've taken four reports today.'"