How to Find Crime Stats for a City

You don't have to be an investigative news reporter to find out what crimes people are committing in your neighborhood. All that is required is a little patience, research and knowledge of what is public information.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Contact your local police department. Crime statistics are a public record. Police departments send this data to the FBI, which compiles it into reports as part of the national Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The yearly report is available at the FBI's website. The protocol for requesting local crime statistics can vary by jurisdiction. Asking the operator to connect you with the officer who handles community concerns or someone in the public affairs office might be a good place to start.

2. Check online. Police departments often post crime statistics on the web, and this can be the quickest way to view statistics. For example, the Houston Police Department has an information-rich site for crime statistics where citizens can view data by police beat and district.

3. Read your local newspaper. Newspapers often employ reporters whose job is to cover crime and courts in your area. Some smaller newspapers still print a "police blotter," which lists all of the crimes reported to police that occurred during a certain time period.

References

• FBI
• Houston Police Department