Neighborhood Crime Map and Crime Checker

Wouldn’t it be great to get a crime rating or an idea of what is going on in your neighborhood? Wouldn’t it be great to check an area for their crime before you possibly buy or invest in a property? Want to know if you live close to a Sex Offender? Read on to find a couple of providers that share crime data and might help you to find out if your neighborhood is safe.

Reasons to check your local neighborhood for crime

There are several reasons you want to check for crime in your area. I mean, there is a big difference between kids trying to open your car in the night and several murder or rape incidents. Agree? Ok, let’s take a look at some of the reasons. 

Moving

It happens to most of us, sometimes we have to, or want to, move to a different part of our city or to a new city. However, we might not know the local area very well, especially in a new city. Sometimes a bad area might be only a block apart from a place where you want to live without knowing it. Now is that bad? Most of the time, probably not, but you should still be aware of the type of crime happening around you. As I said, there is a difference between disturbance and murder. Make sure to make an educated decision that won’t put you or your loved ones at risk.

Newborn

With kids, things change so quickly. If you are moving or trying to figure out the area you just moved to, these tools could help you to get an idea on what is going on around you. Would it make sense to raise kids in that area? Do you think it would be safe enough? Are there any Sex Offenders around you? 

Investing in property

The property you are looking at has a very attractive price? Far below market? Great find! Or not? There is always a reason something comes with a too good to be true offer. Maybe you want to check why that is, especially when you are not familiar with this area. If yo buy cheap, would you be able to sell it with a profit, or would you be stuck with the property?

Now, as said, there are many, many reasons, and everyone has their own, but keep in mind: You can not rely 100% on the data.

How do Crime Map Websites work?

Most websites aggregate their crime data from public records, law enforcement agencies, or news sites. But then there are websites working directly with the local Police Department and publishing their data and detailed information for free.

Every website works a bit different, so it is always a good idea to cross check. They are also different in providing the type of crimes like drug crimes, sex crimes, assaults, burglary, and many more.

How accurate are these sites?

Most of the sites have their own disclaimer about how accurate they are, and to sum it up: Not all the crime data you see is accurate for your area. Not every agency is reporting crime statistics to these sites, and not all sites can get reports from certain agencies and regions. Also, not every crime gets reported to the authorities. 

No Data available

If you look up your area and see nothing, does that mean you live in a safe place? It could be, but it could be false as well.
Make sure to check your filter settings on the website (range of date, type of crimes, etc.) and check a couple of other providers in addition. For example, Provider 1 is not showing me anything for my area – Austin, Texas. But Provider 2 and Provider 3 gave me a different insight.
Still nothing? Congratulations, you might live in a relatively safe area. 

Crime Mapping Websites

Alright, we covered all the basics, now let’s have a look at crime maps on the below websites. All of them offer at least a free service to check for rime alerts. Please note: I’m not affiliated or sponsored by any of these websites, which are for information and educational purposes only.

City Protect

This website worked the best for me; it was straightforward to use and had many useful tools.
The website is part of the Command Central Community by Motorola Solutions which is directly working with and helping law enforcement agencies in the US for better public crime data availability.

Here is a screenshot showing all reported crimes for one month:

Link: https://cityprotect.com/

Spot Crime

This site is an independent crime data aggregator getting reports from police departments and verified news reports.

Link: https://spotcrime.com

Community Crime Map

This site is also very extensive and has a lot of features, however, I’m not sure where the data is coming from.

Crime Mapping 

During my research, I found many agencies linking to this website, but it appears the service has been either shut down or something else is going on there. I tried to visit this site for a couple of days/weeks now, and it always shows up as “Site is down”. I’m not sure if the site comes back again, but I still leave a link here in case it comes up again, and it might be worth to check it.

Link: https://www.crimemapping.com/

Neighborhood Scout

This site is a bit different, and it is a paid tool. I assume it gets used by Realtors and anyone who wants more details about a particular area. Since this is a paid service and it limits the region to check, I’m not able to provide you any details about it, but maybe some of you find it more helpful than the other sites.

Link: https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/

Which provider do I use?

While this is not a review of all the individual websites and their applications, I’ve found City Protect to work best and the easiest for my area and needs.

Conclusion

There are so many things happening around us, and I like these tools to get a glimpse of things I might be missing, like crime. I’m not here 24 hours a day and don’t see a lot while staying in my apartment, but that does not mean nothing happens. However, someone just wants to know if there are any offenders around them. I’m not here to raise fear but awareness.
Do you have any other site you use or recommend? Please let me know.

-Stay safe!