A web of crime

They say crime doesn’t sleep.

That statement as true now as it was back whenever it was first said.

Many area police departments have discovered blogging and have since started their own blogs. They vary widely on the information and frequency of their posts. Below is a sample of blogs from the largest departments around.

Boston Police: The Boston Police Department launched its blog in 2005. Since then, it has served as a communication tool between the department and mainly the media. However, in addition to the usual two or three daily blotter items and updated crime statistics, the bloggers post messages from the police commissioner to the public in an attempt to communicate with the members of the community that do read the blog.

Brookline Police: The Brookline Police Department’s blog is a bit younger than Boston’s – having launched earlier this year. The department also provides daily posts, but the content is much different. Rather than blotter items, the posts on Brookline’s blog read more like actual police reports.

Lowell Police: The Lowell Police Department’s blog is a mixture of the two previously mentioned blogs. The blog isn’t updated nearly as frequently, but it contains blotter items and other posts that read like they were copied from an officer’s report. However, there’s more of a community feel when reading this blog as some posts alert residents to upcoming road construction or even the passing of a well-known city firefighter.