Kinston Police launches live crime map to promote transparency, community awareness
The Kinston Police Department has unveiled a new digital tool aimed at enhancing transparency and helping residents stay informed about crime in their neighborhoods.
The department’s Live Crime Map, now available on its official website, allows the public to view reported incidents through an interactive map and receive automated alerts based on location. The tool, developed in partnership with LexisNexis, provides daily updates and customizable analytics to help users understand crime patterns in real time.
“This has been a goal of Chief Keith Goyette for the past three years,” said Kinston Police Major Brian Biggins. “When we transitioned to a new records management system, it gave us the opportunity to integrate with LexisNexis and provide this level of visibility to the community.”
The previous reporting system was outdated and lacked integration capabilities. The department’s switch to a modern platform enabled LexisNexis to securely access validated incident reports and populate them onto the public-facing map.
One of the driving forces behind the launch was Emma Slabbert, a new data analyst who joined the department earlier this year. She was tasked with bringing the crime map online and successfully led the project to completion.
While the map tracks crime data over the most recent seven days, users can filter results by type of incident, date range, and general location. To protect privacy, the map shows block-level data—for example, listing incidents in the “900 block” of a street rather than a precise address. Additionally, the map does not include the reporting person’s address or other identifying details.
“Click on the link, go in there, and when you get to the Community Crime Map, click the filter button,” Biggins said. “You can change what you’re looking for—there are a lot of different types of reported crime you can explore.”
Each incident shown on the map includes limited public information, but users seeking additional details—such as the full report number or narrative—can request it directly from the department by contacting police.records@kinstonnc.gov.
According to Biggins, the map typically updates within an hour or two after a report is validated by the records division. This upcoming weekend will be the first test of how the system performs without real-time input from records staff, who do not work weekends. The department will monitor the system to ensure continued reliability.
“This is about transparency and providing timely information to the public,” Biggins said. “We want our community to be aware—sometimes even before we’ve had a chance to communicate it ourselves.”
Residents can access the Live Crime Map through the Kinston Police Department’s website or via the link shared on social media.
Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.
We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.
Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.
