Crime and Your Neighborhood

Are you considering moving and want to know about the crime in a particular area? The safeness of a neighborhood varies from block to block, and even from house to house, depending on a number of circumstances. The following are some questions to consider in evaluating the crime potential in a neighborhood or at a house or apartment:

	.	Is your prospective home on a quiet, sleepy street? If so, you’re in luck. Criminals are more nervous about operating in a neighborhood where the vehicle- and foot-traffic is low enough to permit the residents to know who belongs and who doesn’t.
	.	Would most or all of your prospective neighbors be at work all day? Burglars gravitate to such clusters of unoccupied dwellings. They tend to avoid neighborhoods or apartment buildings with residents who are home during the day or who have a varied schedule of coming and going.
	.	Would you be living right next to a retail shopping corridor or major thoroughfare? Street criminals prefer to work in areas where the pedestrians and people parking their cars are more likely to have brought along spending money to shop or dine with.
	.	Are the street and the perimeter of the building well-lighted? Nighttime crime is more likely to occur under poorly lit conditions.
	.	Would you be walking a considerable distance to and from your parking space? Does this route take you past blind corners or overgrown shrubbery? How visible are you to passersby and adjacent neighbors along this route? Criminals prefer to strike while out of view of witnesses.
	.	Would you be able to park your car within its own secure garage? Or would you be sharing a large parking area that’s convenient for thieves who go on late night "shopping" sprees.
	.	Are entryways or windows of your prospective home recessed or invisible to adjacent neighbors? Intruders are more attracted to properties designed to give occupants privacy than to ones that are more visible to watchful neighbors' eyes.
	.	Are the doors or windows readily accessible from a common walkway where a burglar acting nonchalantly could simply blend in with other foot traffic before forcing entry?

An excellent method of gauging the overall livability of a prospective neighborhood is to speak to several of its long-time residents. Introduce yourself and ask about their experiences. They may be aware of crime problems that are not reported to the police, or other quality-of-life concerns. Think about it: A year or two after you’ve moved to a new neighborhood your perception of the area will likely match that which the long-term residents have acquired, so they may be your best source of information.

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Adapted, with permission, from information generously provided by the Crime Analysis Unit, Santa Monica Police Department.

City of Beverly Hills: http://www.ci.beverly-hills.ca.us/ (click on "Crime Prevention")

Notes

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