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Guess I'm confused b/c the FBI 2009 crime stats lists a slew of cities ranked ahead of Abq in total violent crimes and other studies report the same.
Are people saying that Abq is dangerous in comparison to other cities, or just generally dangerous--b/c IMO there are many places in the U.S. a lot less safe than here?
It's also important to note that cities report crimes differently from what I understand. While these stats are of some use, it's important to weigh all the factors.
I'm not suggesting that any parent is weak, paranoid, bad, etc, by escaping but there are very strong options and opportunities for raising children in this city...public and private.
I have lived all over the country and I am convinced that there is a bit of cognitive dissonance with regards to safety in Albuquerque.
As a native Albuquerquean who managed to escape the grip of a typical criminally-minded New Mexican family I can tell you that it is a pervasive problem within families here. There are a disproportionate number of these families throughout the state. I am not saying that transplants don't commit crimes, but based on personal experience a lot of the criminal element are from families with deep roots here. And yes, most of the crime is domestic, gang, or drug related. Part of what feeds the problem is the astonishing poverty and lack of education.
It's difficult to describe the mentality of these families. There is an attitude of entitlement about crime. Committing crimes is a given. Trying to explain that committing crimes is wrong and that there is another way of living is like trying to explain to a fish that they live in something called water and there is another environ called air. This mentality is perpetuated because the entire family, and all of their friends, are the same way. My husband used to contract with YDDC (the juvenile prison), and the staff there called it "mijito syndrome." A teenage gangster would commit some heinous crime (let's say murder), and the family members would be lamenting the fact that s/he was locked up. "Poor baby, s/he doesn't deserve to be treated this way" kind of attitude.
Anyway, that is a big part of why crime flourishes here and will continue to do so.
As far as your decision to move here... I think Albuquerque is a fantastic city. The only crime I've ever experienced is from my own crazy family members (see - domestic). Most people I've known have had either their home or car broken into - some multiple times. If you can tolerate the increased risk, it's a great city. The breaking point for me was having children. I do not want to raise my kids here, so we are hoping to relocate before my oldest begins school. It is not a good place for vulnerable people (e.g. children).
Good luck on your decision!
I would say this is probably the best explanation given here as to the amount of crime in ABQ. I lived there for 6 years. I remember within the first two weeks of moving there being shocked at how many times getting robbed had come up in conversation with different people and so I finally asked someone about this and he said to me, "It's not a matter of if you get robbed, it's a matter of when." I kinda laughed it off at the time. But unfortunately, he was right. I had my apartment broken into and anything pawnable stolen at one point. I also had a total of three bikes stolen, even though two of those bikes were locked up with bike locks in a place where only my next door neighbor would have seen them and known exactly when I was coming or going. In both cases it was most likely the neighbors that were the perpetrators, so definitely be aware of who your neighbors are if you move there!
Everyone I knew there from friends to co-workers to bosses/managers, had experienced some form of property theft at some point in their time in ABQ. It pretty much came back to what that guy first told me when I moved there.
That said, I still loved a lot of things about ABQ, but like I said at the beginning, the best explanation I've seen given on this thread is the one I quoted above. Good luck!
I had my apartment broken into and anything pawnable stolen at one point. I also had a total of three bikes stolen, even though two of those bikes were locked up with bike locks in a place where only my next door neighbor would have seen them and known exactly when I was coming or going. In both cases it was most likely the neighbors that were the perpetrators, so definitely be aware of who your neighbors are if you move there!
Sorry to hear you had those experiences . The amount of theft and property crime is out of control here.
Albuquerque is above the U.S. Average in Murders, Rapes, Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries, Thefts, Auto Thefts and Arson for the past consecutive years (1999 to 2008, I don't know when they will update). That's consistency. It may not make us number one, but we are up there, whether you want to believe it or not. And that is one problem in these forums, people (like me) love Albuquerque and the area, so we take the risk, or we talk it away, or we ignore it...
If most are in agreement that crime is relatively high in Albuquerque, then I guess the next logical question is - WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
If the answer is: x y and z, then I suppose there could be a discussion about the effectiveness of those processes.
If the answer is: nothing, this is the way it always has been, blah blah, then I would be very frustrated and think twice about moving my entire family to an area with such a mentality.
Personally speaking, we are here now, we are very happy, and we would like to call Albuquerque home for a long time. But I will be watching some of these social issues closely in upcoming months/years. To a point, I think it is nice to say one should not live in fear, but we do also want to live in a community we can feel proud of.
From what I'm gathering, ABQ is sounding a lot like Sylmar, a suburb of LA. Sylmar is majority Hispanic families (very family-oriented), semi-rural (much horse property), and laid back. The downsides to Sylmar are many gangs, drugs, and high crime. Surrounding these issues are families that drink heavily, enable thugs, carry vendettas, and lack respect for education. It's a semi-rural ghetto... with that same mentality. My girlfriend married into one of these families, and even after more than a decade separation from them, there are still issues that follow us from Sylmar (her son is Hispanic/Hawaiian and all of his friends became gang members). So, what we are hearing sounds very familiar to us... and in a worrisome way. It's heartbreaking to hear this stuff about ABQ. We've spoken to some of our friends in ABQ about these issues. They don't tend to agree... but they are also from the area and Hispanic. Maybe their experience of the area isn't quite the same as an Anglo/Hawaiian couple?
Does Rio Rancho seem to have the same issues?
Last edited by dstarstories; 11-10-2010 at 02:07 PM..
It may not make us number one, but we are up there, whether you want to believe it or not.
It's not about wanting to believe or not. If you take a look at the most recent FBI stats as per Wikipedia there are 33 cities w/ a population greater than 250,000 with a higher total violent crime rate and 42 with a lower rate. Granted stats aren't the end all, but I'm not quite sure that classifies as "up there." Guess that depends upon your definition...
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. The amount of theft and property crime is out of control here.
