Crime is one of the most prominent issues that communities face. As a result, it is no surprise that most Americans follow local crime news, with around seven-in-ten saying they do so often or occasionally. However, how individuals consume this information and what they feel about the content they take in varies widely.
A key to understanding what is happening at a particular site or in a specific neighborhood is crime statistics reports, also known as police crime statistic reports or criminal incident data. These reports are compiled by police departments and provide crime trends for the city or neighborhood, typically broken down by type of offense such as murders, burglaries, robberies and misdemeanor assaults. Generally these reports are available to the public on request, although some may require a fee.
Some of these reports are available online and can be customized to a specific location, including a specific map and charts that allow for visual analysis. Others, like the LexisNexis Community Crime Map, are subscription-based and allow you to research crimes by address, viewing results on a custom map and in a data grid. These services can be used to establish whether a site has higher or lower crime risk than the surrounding area, and can be helpful in determining potential security risks at a facility.
Those who say they get their local crime news mostly from social media, locally focused apps or friends, family and neighbors are more likely to feel that such sources exaggerate the amount of crime in their area than those who mostly or only receive this type of news from local law enforcement or local politicians. Still, a third of those who regularly follow local crime news report feeling extremely or very concerned about how crime in their community affects them and their families.