City launches new interactive maps to monitor police and fire calls for service

With the City Council hearing from citizens that the city’s crime map technology was difficult to navigate online, city staff responded by unveiling two new interactive maps that will give website visitors the ability to monitor Police Department and Fire & Rescue calls for service.

Located on the city’s website here and here, the maps are the culmination of a coordinated effort between the Fire and Police Departments and Information Technology staff.

“The council listened to residents and city staff then took their input and created a user experience that is friendly and informative,” IT Director Steve Ely said. “The Information Technology Department team will continue to work towards bringing more online systems to the public in the future.”

The maps can be viewed in multiple ways, tracking calls from the last 24 hours to the last 14 days. Viewers can click on icons to view additional data such as the city block the incident occurred, the time the event happened and the type of call.

“After several months of development, we have created a new tool for residents to monitor the crime and police-related calls in their city and neighborhoods,” Police Chief Rob Sharpnack said. “Thanks to IT Director Steve Ely and his staff for their hard work and dedication in getting this done.”

For the first time, residents will now also be able to monitor Fire & Rescue calls.

“Costa Mesa has embraced a highly valued level of transparency and we felt this new interactive map will add to that approach by providing residents with a tangible perspective of the emergency incidents and calls for service their fire and rescue teams respond to on a 24/7/365 basis,” Fire Chief Dan Stefano said.

To protect members of the public and first responders, the calls on the maps typically have a 30-minute time delay following the conclusion of an emergency incident or call for service.