The LSU Police Department recently released an interactive crime map on its website to increase safety awareness among students and other people living on or around campus, according to LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde.

The map takes the information put into the daily crime log and translates it onto an interactive map, Lalonde said.

Lalonde said the map is not an emergency alert system like the text messages, but it is an interactive way for people to see crimes that occurred on campus.

The map has icons around LSU’s campus that allow the user to click to see the date, time and description of the crime that took place at that specific location.

Lalonde said one of the best features is the ability to filter results to see crimes in a particular time window or by type of crime.

Sgt. Joe Thompson, who worked on the interactive map for LSUPD, said the biggest challenge in making the map was the lack of street addresses on buildings, which made it difficult to pinpoint on-campus crimes.

“One of the best things about it is that it’s easy to use,” Thompson said. “The map comes up and you can click on an icon and it gives a brief description of what [the crime] is.”

Lalonde said the map can be accessed from a mobile device using the app “Crime Reports.”

Thompson said the map is “a work in progress,” as LSUPD is working to fix bugs, put X and Y coordinates on campus buildings and streets and to make the map easier to use.

“We want to be as open and honest as we can about crime,” Lalonde said. “The LSU community is aware of instances and is one of the best resources to try to counter criminal activity because the community is our eyes and ears. We encourage everyone to contact us about suspicious activity.”