Public meeting to talk about Beaufort’s crime and traffic hot spots

Beaufort Police Department is looking for community input on a new tool that will help identify crime and traffic hot spots throughout the city.

The Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety tool will point out when and where crime and traffic accidents are most likely to occur, “increasing the likelihood that violators will be caught,” according to a department news release.

There will be a public information meeting at the police department from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 12 about the new tool that will be in use later this month, according to the release. Community members will have an opportunity to ask questions and offer input about the program. Attendees are asked to use the Palmetto Street entrance.

The program is free for the city to use, department spokeswoman Sgt. Hope Able said. It stemmed from 35 years of research and has the support of federal, state and independent groups, according to a March police department news release. South Carolina Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and agencies within the Department of Justice also use it, the release said.

Anyone with questions or comments or anyone who can’t make it to the meeting but would still like to know more can call the department at 843-322-7900.

This story was originally published April 2, 2017 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Public meeting to talk about Beaufort’s crime and traffic hot spots."