NYC Arrest Records Screensaver
The NYC Arrest Records screensaver shows arrest records published by the NYPD through New York City's key-less open-data portal. The city publishes borough, precinct and broad category only — no names or addresses — and nothing is added here. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the NYC Arrest Records screensaver works
The saver reads NYC Open Data directly in your browser — no key and no account.
Arrest records published by the NYPD through New York City's key-less open-data portal.
It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.
Colours can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.
What NYC publishes about arrests
New York City's open data portal carries arrest data published by the New York Police Department. Each record is an arrest made in the city, with details on the type of crime, the location and time of enforcement, and demographic fields for the suspect. The data is extracted manually each quarter and reviewed by the NYPD's Office of Management Analysis and Planning, so it updates on a quarterly schedule rather than live. This screensaver shows only the place and offence, and does not show or add personal details.
Each row includes a date, an offence description, a law category, the law code involved, the borough and the police precinct of the arrest. The law category groups offences by seriousness, with felonies the most serious, then misdemeanours, then violations. Boroughs are the five that make up the city: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the data says nothing about what happened next. Counts reflect policing activity as well as underlying crime, since where and how officers patrol shapes what gets recorded. Because the data is released in quarterly batches, recent activity will be missing. Treat it as a record of enforcement, not a measure of safety.
A worked example
Arrest records published by the NYPD through New York City's key-less open-data portal. The city publishes borough, precinct and broad category only — no names or addresses — and nothing is added here.
Settings & tips
- Accent and Background recolour the display.
- Data comes straight from NYC Open Data in your browser.
- Press ESC to leave fullscreen.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real data?
- Yes — it comes from NYC Open Data and is refreshed on a schedule.
- Does this identify anyone?
- No. The city publishes borough, precinct, offence category and broad demographic bands. There are no names or addresses, and nothing is added here.
- Is a key needed?
- No. This source is fully key-less.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- What are the three offence levels?
- Felonies are the most serious crimes, misdemeanours are less serious, and violations are minor offences. The dataset records each arrest's law category.
- Does an arrest mean the person was guilty?
- No. An arrest is the start of the process, and the dataset describes the arrest itself, not charges, trials or outcomes.
- How often is the data updated?
- The NYC Open Data description says the data is extracted manually each quarter, so recent weeks are not yet included.