4 Ways to Learn About Your Area’s Crime Rate

Bustling neighborhoods are at the heart of communities everywhere. Whether it’s a park full of kids and dogwalkers, or a quaint farmer’s market on the corner, many of your city’s local gems are often within walking distance of your home. These days however, many of us are hesitant to lace up our sneakers and explore our surroundings. Luckily, there are plenty of options to keep you alert about your area, and checking your neighborhood’s safety statistics has never been easier.

Police Departments

The goal of every police department is to reduce crime and provide a safe environment for its citizens. Your local P.D. will likely have crime/offense maps like Community Crime Map and CityProtect, easy to use maps that allow you to cast a wide (or narrow) net as you search for red flags. Some police departments even offer mobile apps that enable users to receive informational and emergency alerts about their neighborhoods – even offering a real-time chat with a police officer feature. Through paying a visit to your police department’s crime watch page or downloading the official or certified apps on your cell phone, you can quickly establish reliable sources for safety information and updates. Plus, it never hurts to have a police officer in your pocket – literally that is.

Online safety websites

Another great tool to have in your safety arsenal are online safety sites. There are plenty of options for staying cautious in your area, and many of them are customizable to your needs. For example, AreaVibes allows users to view crime trends in the area and compare them to national statistics. Using a unique algorithm, AreaVibes’ “Livability Score” considers dozens of characteristics from across seven different categories and distills the information so you can browse the data while reading the personal feedback and scores given to an area by its actual residents.

Other safety sites such as NeighborhoodScout are perfect for getting acquainted with a new city before relocating. NeighborhoodScout helps you generate custom searches for your ideal future community, using criteria such as crime rate, real estate, and school proximity. After locating a fit, NeighborhoodScout finds comparable, safe neighborhoods in your state of choice.

Mobile safety apps

In today’s world, cell phones aren’t just work requirements or luxuries – they’re necessities. We rely on our phones to do almost everything for us, from tracking calendar appointments to delivering our dinner. We depend on our phones to stay connected, which is why mobile apps can be an invaluable tool for safety information in your area. One of the most prevalent of these apps is Nextdoor, an app system designed to keep you and your neighbors linked and alert. Once engaged with Nextdoor, you can chat with the people in your area and stay updated about any suspicious behavior or unfamiliar people in the community. From porch pirates to vandalism, Nextdoor makes it simple to stay vigilant.

Brinks Home™ Neighborhood Crime Report

Partnering with CityProtect, Brinks Home's Crime Report helps you peruse police agencies and incidents nationwide, even presenting the option to submit tips to local authorities. The Neighborhood Crime Report equips you with the ability to learn more about what's going on in your area by tracking crimes – it’ll send you an email alert whenever a new crime is reported.

Have peace of mind when you check the Crime Report, and rest easy with real smart home security when you get a professionally installed, professionally monitored Brinks Home system.

Lauren Slade is a Dallas-based writer and editor.