- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Among the more intriguing and/or disturbing features on the City of Boulder's web site is a crime map feature that allows residents and other curious Internet surfers to see precisely where a variety of offenses have occurred throughout the community in a given week -- in today's case, the one ending September 18. Click on the "Aggravated Assault" button, for instance, and five aquamarine dots pop up. Likewise, three bright-red circles appear upon clicking "Sex Crime," six green ones represent "Residential Burglaries," and 21 purple orbs stand for "Vandalism." In all, 47 incidents took place in eight categories during the most recent week, most of them massed around the area of The Hill. It's a fascinating and useful tool, as well as a fine argument for investing in some pepper spray.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.