The Best Neighborhood Safety Tools
If you are thinking about beginning to look into crime statistics before moving or searching for safety initiatives, then look no further. We have put together a list of various options in order to aid you in making the best decision when choosing a safety tool. With all the websites and applications that are out there for community betterment, there are a lot of things to look for. This article will cover which websites are the best for tracking large crime, crime monitoring, and community safety.
With community safety efforts comes social responsibility. While monitoring the community you are looking into relocating to, you must also remember not to pre-judge or profile the individuals living there. Making sure that you are using these tools in order to build the community, and not divide it.
Top-Rated Programs for Neighborhood Safety
- AreaVibes
This type of program helps you to find the best place to live, based on all the factors you deem important. All you have to do is enter your state, city, neighborhood, and address into the search box. From there, this website will plot your location on a map, proving you with its livability score, which ranges from 1 to 100.
This site will also map and rank the areas that are nearby to the town, according to various factors. Along with this information, you will also receive scores based on other states’ averages and national averages. A letter grade will also be given for each city, ranging from A+ to F.
AreaVibes custom search function sets it apart from other tools, allowing you to search for locations based on crime, education, housing, and amenities. If a crime is the main reason for your search, then this application will quickly and easily compare your town to several other towns and cities in the area. You can even break down the types of crime and check any reported incident. Additionally, this site can show statistics and crime trends, comparing it to different regions and nearby cities.
Cost: Free to use.
- The Neighbors App
The Neighbors App, made from Ring, is one of the newest neighborhood tools online. Ring is known for their doorbell cameras and home security systems and strikes again by bringing an online neighborhood watch program. The perk of using this application is that you do not have to be a ring customer, and can also be used by other community members and the police in your area. You can also contribute your own tips as well, anonymously.
In addition to its neighborhood safety functions, you can look up information on the community, search for lost pets, and also submit information if needed. This application definitely has its pros and cons, but a great reputation for quality products and services.
Cost: This application is free to use.
- NeighborhoodScout
This application can provide crime statistics and other local yet important information to help you decide a new place to move to. You can compare neighborhoods based on the overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and then the property crime rate. By doing this, you can compare your neighborhood against other cities and state averages. What makes this application great is that users can outline specific crime rate areas, by the distance or miles from an address.
NeighboorhoodScout allows you to create a custom search for your new neighborhood, and help you to identify the area you should move to, based on your qualifications. From there, you can always compare neighborhoods in any state you choose.
Cost: Most of the site is free, but the more detailed reports might cost a small fee.
- FamilyWatchdog
FamilyWatchdog directly finds registered sex offenders in any neighborhood you chose to search in. All you must do is type in the location or address to this website’s search box, and the site generates a map pinpointing the addresses of nearby sex offenders. Color-coded icons relate to what crimes were committed, included carious sex crimes, sexual battery, rape, and crimes against children. Once you see the icons, you can click on each one to find their names, where they are located, and what they have been convicted of. If you are looking for a specific man or woman, you can search for them by name.
While investigating this website, you can sign up for alerts whenever a registered sex offender moves in or out of your neighborhood. You can receive additional and detailed information about these offenders, and receive information about personal safety tips, facts about sexual abuse, and articles about the community.
Cost: This application is a free service, but you will be asked to sign up for a subscription if you want additional background reports.
- CrimeReports
CrimeReports can map crime data from more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies, working together to keep your community safe. You can search CrimeReports based on region, zip code, or law enforcement agencies to view maps with icons, which identify recent police activity. You can narrow down the search for more specific types of crime, and by clicking on each icon, can then view a range of details about each incident.
This website filters can allow you to narrow down your crime search rate by the date, day of the week, time of the day, and incident type. You can sign up for periodic crime alerts, register your home security camera, and submit tips. By zooming out of your neighborhood, CrimeReports will show you incident trends that are easy to read, allowing you to see how many crimes were committed over the last 15 days.
Cost: CrimeReports is free to use.
- SpotCrime
SpotCrime maps the crimes in your area and can deliver alerts on email, text, and some social media platforms. This app will gather data from news reports, law enforcement agencies, and user tips, to represent crime statistics. Each crime is represented by icons, making it easy to see what activities take place in your neighborhood. By clicking on each icon that this site brings up, can make it easy to see what the crime was, where it took place and a link that will give more information about each incident. The sources of these crimes are most likely from law enforcement officers. This application does not go as in-depth as the other sites listed, but is still user friendly and incredibly visual. Users can get a quick look at crimes around their neighborhood.
Cost: This application is free to use.
