I recently stumbled upon a website which would fulfill my very worst nightmare.

It would show me a map, within a three-mile radius of my quiet neighborhood, pocked with every robbery, auto theft, carjacking, arson, missing person, assault, rape, and murder case on police record. These incidents can be tracked in real-time and give additional information – such as the distance it happened from your RESIDENCE.

“So I was heading to the store to get some bread and I thought I’d check out what that murder-suicide was all about…”

Authorities say that this is an act of reinforcing police force’s duty to the public.

Sure, it’s a means of awareness. It might even remind you to lock your car door or not take candy from strangers lurking in unmarked vans.

It really doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to have information about saggy-faced Larry the Registered Sex Offender who lives down the street. Charged with 1st degree rape. And is an absconder. Hell, maybe I can stop by the house to borrow a cup of sugar. Boy do I feel EMPOWERED!

The line between what is necessary information and what is extraneous has become blurred within the ever-present human fascination with chaos.

We are ultimately psychologically disabled (seriously, what can you do while you’re staring at your screen?). Sites like these have become the computer-age equivalent to rubber-necking.

On Monday, an urgent letter was sent out to roughly 38,000 faculty members, alumni, staff, and students at Georgetown University revealing the theft of a hard drive containing sensitive information of anyone in connection with Georgetown from 1998-2006 (including yours truly).

Except that it happened about a month ago. And there wasn’t any map showing me that.

January 28, 2008 Dear Current or Former Students, Faculty and Staff:

We are writing to inform you that you are among a group of individuals whosepersonally identifiable information such as name and social security number may have been exposed due to a recent computer theft on campus. We regret this incident and wanted to alert you via email as soon as possible after completing our investigation of the nature and scope of the data at issue. Recognizing the seriousness of this incident and the concern we share for the personal security of those within our community, we are making arrangements to provide free credit monitoring services for you. In the coming days you can expect to receive a hard copy mailing with instructions on how to take advantage of this service.

On January 3, 2008 an external computer hard drive was reported stolen from a locked office within the Office of Student Affairs in the Leavey Center on the Main Campus. Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety responded to scene and continues to cooperate with an ongoing investigation by the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. In addition, we have informed the U.S. Secret Service about this incident so that they may follow up as they determine appropriate.

In my mind, it doesn’t provide any comfort to see evidence of the actual crimes that happen. I know the police are out there to do their jobs and they’ll do it well. But what I fear the most is that the DC Metro Police were withholding information concerning the safety of my identity for a good 3 and a half weeks. What power are you putting “back” into the peoples’ hands when you are the one controlling the ebb and flow of information?

All they could do was send me an email telling me to get a “free credit report” and that they had contacted the US Secret Service.

Well that’s a relief. Just like ol’ Tim McCarthy, I know that the Feds will throw themselves between a bullet and my Social Security number. God Bless America.