If you have a sign and wish for me to pick it up, please let me know either by sending an email to IndianSpringsGuy@sbcglobal.net or calling 281-292-2925.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Crime in The Woodlands

My position has always been to determine spending based on metrics. For crime, I feel no different. This subject is not simple and takes considerable analysis and thought to optimize the use of  resources and manage our taxes realistically.  My position is to staff according to our needs based on the right metrics and to communicate crime and safety issues accordingly. Our police force will soon be staffed according to the plan for 2010. We likely will need to add additional staff next year. Staffing and communication are independent but of course related. One is real crime; the other is mostly psychology. For staffing, we need to determine what we want to be and how much we want to pay for it. I advocate several metrics to govern our budget and practices.

For communication, we need to follow best practices. Our current notification system is good, but we can also automate availability of information through a GIS system. Every city I know of uses a GIS system for residents to understand where and what crimes are being committed in their area. I have been working on this issue for two years. We can also deploy a GIS system. We have the technology, but we have never taken the steps to deploy it as public information.

With permission from the data source, below you will find comparisons which indicate that we are not the best in mitigating crime in our neighborhoods, but not near what is considered a problem. These numbers are risk factors, based on crime incidents, criminal opportunities, and several other criteria. Everything is relative. A 100 is the national average. 100 is considered quite low. As you can see, our crime risk is generally half of the national average and less than 1/4 that of Houston. Contrast that to Sugarland which is considered a competitor by the developer here. People moving to the Houston area often compare Sugarland and The Woodlands as potential locations to live.  Again, these numbers are
not incidents but risk, a way to compare the effect of crime on life in various areas.   

Houston vs The Woodlands


The Woodlands   Houston    United States
Total Crime Risk  46 219 100
Personal Crime Risk  46 216 100
Murder Risk  51 229 100
Rape Risk  70 127 100
Robbery Risk  22 327 100
Assault Risk  31 205 100
Property Crime Risk  41 204 100
Burglary Risk   21 186 100
Larceny Risk  69 152 100
Motor Vehicle Theft Risk  30 238 100 

The Woodlands vs Sugarland

The Woodlands   Sugarland  United States
Personal Crime Risk  46 22 100
Murder Risk  51 21 100
Rape Risk  70 33 100
Robbery Risk  22 16 100
Assault Risk  31 17 100
Property Crime Risk  41 33 100
Burglary Risk  21 42 100
Larceny Risk  69 39 100
Motor Vehicle Theft Risk  30 13 100
Total Crime Risk  46 29 100

Data courtesy of CLRSearch.com

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