Knowing the type and frequency of crimes that occur on neighboring properties is vitally important for property owners. This information should be analyzed and utilized when developing security plans. It is equally important for managers who are concerned about being sued for negligent security. A plaintiff’s attorney will usually request a crime history for the site where an incident occurred in order to determine if the incident was “foreseeable” and therefore could have been prevented by “reasonable care” on the part of the property owner.
Many local police departments provide crime statistics reports that allow the public to view crime conditions in their area. The reports are compiled by police department analysts and provide numeric crime scores for various categories of crimes such as homicide, assault, burglary, larceny and car theft. The crime scores can then be compared to other communities in the city, state and nationally. These reports are typically available online through the police department’s website.
However, the crime data provided by police departments may not be accurate at a specific site location. This is because the geographic areas used to calculate crime statistics reports are often too large and may include several neighborhoods. Additionally, the occurrence of certain types of crimes, such as murder, tends to concentrate in particular areas of town. These hotspots are often overlooked when evaluating crime statistics reports. As a result, residents often engage with their neighbors through community websites and virtual dialogue to share real-time incidents and safety tips.