NCJ Number
185424
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2000 Pages: 62-66
Date Published
September 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the various ways in which the Los Angeles Police Department's Internet web site has improved its services to the public.
Abstract
In 1996 Chief Bernard C. Parks collaborated with Glenn Levant of Drug Abuse Resistance Education America (DARE) to launch LAPDOnline. This web site has been an important part of LAPD's community policing philosophy, which includes improvement in the department's internal and external communications. Community leaders view the new web site as a bridge to the public and an important repository for the latest news, facts, and figures on the LAPD. The web site now has nearly 6,000 pages that include up-to-date information on the history, structure and procedures of the department; comprehensive crime prevention tips; "most wanted" suspect information; and missing persons profiles. The department is committed to maintaining a user-friendly, interactive web site that is constantly updated to create a lasting bond with the public. Since its inception, LAPDOnline has garnered an average of 100,000 "hits" per day, totaling more than 23 million hits between August 1998 and February 2000. Among its many innovative uses, the web site has launched an art theft section to share information and solicit leads on stolen art. Additional uses of the web site are as a recruitment tool, as a fallen officer memorial, for press releases, and as a medium for late-breaking or seasonal information for the public.