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The kind and amount of crime a city or
neighborhood experiences is an important factor in the decisions of many
home buyers. Yet, many buyers don't check this information. Some believe
that crime happens to everyone. Others don't know how to find crime
facts, or they think that statistics that police gather are not
available to the public.
The table below provides easy access to crime
facts from several local law enforcement agencies. This is not "Top
Secret" information. Law enforcement agencies are legally
obligated to collect certain crime data, and they are required by law to
disclose this data to any citizen who asks for it.
Those agencies whose crime statistics are not
accessible here likely do not provide an Internet mechanism for the
public to openly research crime for those agencies. Some agencies may be
small, and lack the staffing time or expertise to publish their crime
data on the web. Other agencies feel very protective of the reputation
of the communities they serve, and believe that by making crime data as
inaccessible as possible to the general public, they will avoid
inadvertently casting their communities in a false light.
This latter concern sometimes may be valid.
More often, it is not. But the reality is that the law does not say
crime data has to be accessible online, and law enforcement agencies are
allowed to charge a reasonable fee for the time and materials to
photocopy information for the public.
If you can't find crime information for a
location that interests you, contact that area's local law enforcement
agency and tell them what you want. Most agencies will be very helpful.
If you encounter any that aren't, politely remind them of your right to
obtain the information and their legal obligation to disclose it.
If you're thinking about moving, and you have
difficulty getting the crime data you want for any community, please
contact me. I have years of experience, and I know how to help. I will
be glad to assist. |
