Hidden Feature on Popular App Shows Where Lansing Crime Is Worst

Curious about crime stats around where you live? There's a hidden feature on a popular app that can zoom in and let you know about crime in your neighborhood.

Seems like every night on the news we see at least one crime story here in Lansing. But the crimes that end up making the news are usually the big ones. Turns out there's so much more crime going on in and around Lansing that most of us don't even know about.

RELATED: Lansing, Michigan Among the 20 Most Violent Cities in America

Are you familiar with the app NewsBreak? It's an app that collects local news from various websites that are based near you so that you can get a snapshot of what's happening in your world. If you sign in and allow NewsBreak to know your location, you can get much more granular data.

How to Get to the Lansing Crime Map in NewsBreak

Once you're signed into NewsBreak and have shared your location with the app, look near the top for a header that reads "Crime Map".

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At first you'll see some general info, including the number of homicides, fire/arson events, and assaults in Lansing (or your city) in the past week. There will also be a close-up map of the city with some crime locations shown with yellow, orange or red dots. But click "View the full report" - this is where the real info is. Now you'll also see how many robberies, burglaries and sex crimes were reported recently as well. Tap the map that displays on this page.

Getting Specific Data From NewsBreak's Crime Map

A full screen map of the area opens up now, showing dots wherever crimes have been reported during the selected time frame. If you zoom in, you can even see exactly what types of crimes right at street level.

A clenched fist indicates an assault. A spray can shows vandalism. A money bag equals theft, etc. If you see "SC", that means a sex crime of some kind was reported in this location.

Using NewsBreak to Find Where Sex Offenders Are in Your Area

Use the dropdown at the top of the screen to change the "Crime Map" to instead display where registered sex offenders are in the area.

You can also zoom-in on this map. Do it and watch how the icons change. The new icons become clickable, and will display all known information about the registered sex offender at that location - including why and when they were convicted, any aliases they have used, and photos when available.

Moral of the story - your neighborhood may not be as safe as you think it is. Knowledge is power, and this app can help keep you informed about your surroundings.