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