The Washington, DC Police Department has launched a new crime-mapping tool on its web site. This tool will allow anyone to create a map of a section of the city and then see what crimes have happened there over the past year.

I ran a check on crimes happening around the Cato Institute and got this result for thefts.

I tried to check on drug offenses in the neighborhood, but the police department does not map drug crimes at all. I guess the “crime” that overwhelms the cop on the beat would also overwhelm the web staff at the department and just make the folly of drug prohibition even more obvious to web surfers.

We at Cato have a crime-map too. Our map tracks the government. In particular, drug raids where the police break into people’s homes without abiding by the Knock and Announce doctrine. To check it out, go here.