Crime statistics

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend and I are looking to move, and have found at least one place that we really like, but we're a little unsure about the neighborhood. It's not in the Davis area, but I was wondering if anyone on this community might know the best way to get detailed crime statistics for a neighborhood in Somerville. The police web page didn't have any obvious way of doing that. Should I just call the police department directly? Or is this a records office thing? Is this even something I could easily get? I have two years of general crime statistics as broken down by ward, but I'd like to get a more detailed focus on a specific area if possible.

Comments

[turil.livejournal.com]

Police reports are fairly innacurate, as many people choose not to report criminal activity for a variety of reasons (police being annoying to deal with, too much trouble for very little reward, threats of retaliation, not really caring/depression, etc.)

A good way to assess an area is to check out how many people take care of their front yards and/or hang out in them. The more people are outside their houses, in their yards puttering or sitting on the porch, the safer an area will be, and the more community spirit there is likely to be. Also, studies have shown that the less car traffic there is, the healthier the neighborhood is, since people are more likely to wander around and get to know their neighbors casually if the street moves at a more pedestrian speed.