Monday, January 05, 2015

THE WEB - Washington DC Watchdog Shuts Down

"Website that kept watch on D.C. homicides shuts down" PBS NewsHour 12/29/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Homicide Watch, an online database that records and tracks homicide cases, was created to document under-reported crimes in Washington, D.C.  The site has been praised by law enforcement and the families of victims, but is shutting down in that city.  Co-founder Laura Amico, a Boston Globe reporter, speaks with Jeffrey Brown about sharing violent crime information with the public.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  This has been a year of extensive debate over crime and justice and public safety.  But keeping track of the ebb and flow has often fallen to organizations outside of law enforcement.  Now, one of those tracking sites is shutting down.

Jeffrey Brown is back with that story.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  Mark every death.  Remember every victim.  Follow every case.  That’s been the mantra of a group called Homicide Watch started by two journalists in Washington, D.C., to comb databases and document under-reported crimes occurring in their city.

It’s received much praise from law enforcement and families of victims.  And the concept has been picked up in other cities, including Chicago, Boston, and Trenton, where sites partner with a local newspaper or university.

Now, though, the original Washington, D.C., site is shutting down, unable to find a permanent home.

Joining us is Laura Amico, a Boston Globe reporter who created the site with her husband, Chris, who we should say worked previously with the “NewsHour” online.

And, Laura Amico, welcome to you.

First, what’s the idea behind Homicide Watch?  Why did you think it was needed?

LAURA AMICO, The Boston Globe:  Hi, Jeff.  Thank you for having me.

Homicide Watch started because I had a need, and I was willing to take a risk.  We moved across the country from California so that my husband, Chris, could take that job with “PBS NewsHour.”  And I found myself an unemployed crime reporter in 2009, when there just weren’t that many jobs in journalism.

As I was searching for a job, I saw a need to be done in my local community.  I saw families of victims and suspects trying to connect on places like Facebook and Twitter and Legacy.com.  They were looking for information about cases and they were looking to connect with one another to share what they were learning.

I looked at this and I looked at my skills.  And I saw that I had a lot of free time on my hands and thought maybe there is something here I can do.  And it grew very organically out of that.

No comments: