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EnglishWhere to Find Boston Crime Statistics and Police Data
Updated
The Boston Police Department publishes crime statistics and accountability information through its Data & Transparency Hub, linked from the police.boston.gov homepage. The hub's dashboards are the department's stated source for the latest crime stats, and the site describes transparency and accountability as central to building trust in the communities it serves. Use the hub when you want current figures; use the separate BPDnews feed when you want public safety alerts, missing persons notices, and updates on investigations and arrests.
What the Data & Transparency Hub Offers
According to the department's own description on police.boston.gov, the Data Hub provides dashboards with the latest crime statistics. The site frames this as part of its accountability commitment to the public. The homepage does not list every dataset or dashboard by name, so treat the hub itself as the entry point and review what is available there rather than assuming a specific report exists.
How to reach it
- Go to police.boston.gov.
- Locate the Data & Transparency Hub section on the homepage.
- Open the hub and select the dashboard covering the crime category or time period you need.
- Note the reporting period shown on each dashboard, since figures are only as current as the dashboard's last update.
Expected result: you land on a dashboard view of crime statistics rather than a static annual report. If a dashboard does not cover the category you need, the site's public records route (below) is the alternative.
Statistics vs. News vs. Records
These three channels on the site serve different purposes, and choosing the right one saves time:
| What you need | Where to go on police.boston.gov |
|---|---|
| Current crime statistics and accountability dashboards | Data & Transparency Hub |
| Public safety alerts, missing persons, community news, investigation and arrest updates | BPDnews feed |
| Specific documents or records not published on the site | Public Records Request |
The BPDnews feed is described as "news you can use," including alerts and case updates. It is not a statistics source, so do not rely on individual news posts to build a picture of crime trends.
Requesting Records the Hub Doesn't Publish
If the dashboards don't contain the specific data you need, the department accepts public records requests. Members of the media are asked to submit requests in writing to [email protected]. The homepage does not spell out the full process or response timeline for non-media requesters, so confirm the current procedure through the Public Records Request link on the site before submitting.
Reporting Information Anonymously
The site also promotes CrimeStoppers at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) and anonymous tips by text — text "TIP" to CRIME (27463), with message and data rates possibly applying. The department's app accepts anonymous tips that include photos or videos. These channels are for sharing information about crimes, not for requesting data, but they are part of the same public-safety ecosystem the Data Hub supports.
A Practical Check Before You Cite a Number
Crime statistics are revised as investigations proceed, and dashboards can lag behind real-world events. Before quoting a figure, confirm the dashboard's reporting period and whether it is labeled preliminary or final. For context on a specific incident, cross-check the BPDnews feed; for the underlying dataset, return to the Data & Transparency Hub.