MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. -- Montgomery County residents will be able to look up crime information for their neighborhoods online starting on Friday.

Montgomery County police are partnering with Public Engines, a software development company, to provide almost real-time crime reports and updates at www.crimereports.com.

Crime data is displayed on a map, and users can sign up to receive e-mail alerts when crimes occur near a location, like a business or school.

"When community members know what crime is occurring in their neighborhoods, they can better prevent themselves from becoming victims, and may be more apt to report to police any suspicious persons and activities that may be related to those crimes," said Police Chief Tom Manger in a statement on the new service.

The service is in a pilot program phase, police said.