[VinoRepublic]

Originally Posted by braindead0

Fear is irrational, and why people fear one area over any other is largely based on their personal experiences and biases not on any factual reasons.

If you think a place is unsafe, you will likely act fearful and it shows. Criminals will see this and will be more likely to target you. Self-fulfilling as it were. If you give in to irrational fear easily, I'd recommend staying in your home behind locked doors at all times.

Fear can be irrational. It's irrational when - like you said, it's not based on factual reasons. When a person puts themselves in an entirely new, unpredictable environment, fear should be an expected response. To some extent, fear helps people keep alert and cautious. It's just as irrational for someone to be overly confident because they never had a serious personal experience with crime.

If you think that people who want to move here are irrational for being fearful, than I would have to disagree. Not only is it normal, but it's justified.

If I misunderstood you, then I apologize in advance.

[lvoc]

One has to understand how all this hangs together.

The probability of being a victim of a violent crime is reasonably small. Even in a very bad neighborhood it is unlikely that one will be a victim in any given year. So we are always talking about a sparse event. Even in a really infested neighborhood with gangbangers and druggies and whatever you are not likely to be a victim in any given year.

But when we moved to the ritzy suburb the probability of being a victim goes way down. Say a thousand times...maybe two thousand times in the actual neighborhoods.

And crime and violence does not occur everywhere. It is much more likely in commercial areas and on major streets. Maybe another factor of ten.

So in the distance suburbs, if you avoid commercial places you can probably expect a few thousand years before you become a victim.

So mostly we are discussing something that is not going to happen. And worrying about it not happening more in one neighborhood than the other.

I suggest avoiding most high crime neighborhoods because they tend to be difficult places to live. Hard to buy stuff...uncooperative neighbors...hostile landlords...suspicious and overcharging merchants.

But other than that I would suggest that there is little differentiation. On the crime chart avoid the red and orange near red. Anywhere else is OK. Go for the schools.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2

I see quite a few threads on here asking if this place or that place is safe....

Well these are my reflections on a safe place after an awful lot of years moving around to different places... And not always having the money to move to a more upscale place.

First - It amazes me that if you are that worried about being safe that you would even consider moving to the place you are so worried about being safe.

Second - safety is not always WHERE you live BUT what you make of where you live.

You could have the police station right next door and still be robbed, raped or violently accosted....

If you think that just because the homes are better or the schools are better or the area is better, that does not make it safer.. Not always.....

I have lived in San Bernardino, California before for a number of years.. Let me clue you in - San Bernardino used to be called murder capital of the US.. And has been close almost every year.. I lived down the street from an OG and his family.. and in one of the less prosperous neighborhoods.. We had 1 incident of being robbed and that was by someone who had been to our house to see one of our sons...Other than that we had no problems.. We were nice to people in the neighborhood, they were nice to us and did not have any problems with other people...

I now live in Alta Loma, CA which is very upscale and you see Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins, etc driving in the neighborhood..There seem to be more crime here than other places..

Why?? Well I like to think it is because people come to these areas to do crime cause they think everyone has lots of stuff.. Also spoiled rich kids have nothing better to do at times...

I think overall if you act like you are scared of being someplace then you become a target or at least someone who gets messed with.. If you act like you are fine being where you are and act sensible and like a decent person, you will most likely not become a target...

Of course you are always going to find idiots or two everywhere you go, but usually you will be "safe" most anywhere you are....

So IMO if you have to ask is the place you are going safe...Maybe you should just stay home....

Carry a GUN and you will help the community get rid of these low life criminals.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Ironically, we cannot fix poverty with money. (Half the money we DO spend on welfare is spent on families that started with a teen birth. Perhaps THAT'S where we should be marshaling our resources -- reducing unplanned pregnancies.)

Absolutely!

[DianeV]

Originally Posted by lvoc

I suggest avoiding most high crime neighborhoods because they tend to be difficult places to live.

At last. At last someone acknowledges that there are high-crime neighborhoods.

It seems that most of the posters here are suggesting that the everyone should overlook any fears of high-crime neighborhoods, and dismiss such concerns as unrational fears. That "crime can happen anywhere". That attitude can carry you through anything. Etc.

I think this is exceptionally bad advice. While crime can happen anywhere, it's more likely to happen in particular places. And while attitude can be helpful, it's not a failsafe.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by DianeV

At last. At last someone acknowledges that there are high-crime neighborhoods.

It seems that most of the posters here are suggesting that the everyone should overlook any fears of high-crime neighborhoods, and dismiss such concerns as unrational fears. That "crime can happen anywhere". That attitude can carry you through anything. Etc.

I think this is exceptionally bad advice. While crime can happen anywhere, it's more likely to happen in particular places. And while attitude can be helpful, it's not a failsafe.

And what do you suggest for the person who lives in a $3 million home that's within walking distance of a relatively bad area of town? There are many areas like this in Las Vegas. There are pockets of "great" mixed with pockets of "oh, HELL no" all over town.

Some of the worst crimes in the last decade have happened in the "good" areas of town. To quote Rush (the band),
"Folks are basically decent. Conventional wisdom would say. But we read about the exceptions in the papers every day."

[DianeV]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

And what do you suggest for the person who lives in a $3 million home that's within walking distance of a relatively bad area of town? There are many areas like this in Las Vegas. There are pockets of "great" mixed with pockets of "oh, HELL no" all over town.

Okay. But then we're talking about bad neighborhoods that do exist, not about people with irrational fears, right? It's just fair to acknowledge that. That's all I'm saying.

[irishspy]

It would help when people post about crime if they would explain what they mean. Littering is a crime. There is no place where people live where there is no crime. If they want a place crime free go live out in the middle of the desert where there is no people. When you have people you will have crime. It is not hard to figure out the areas which have crime just look at the area criminals live in they do not spend their money or time having homes which look attractive. Many higher crime areas are in the lower income areas which has lower housing cost. Like any other urban area there are certain areas you just stay out of. People must use common sense about being out and about like why? would you be walking the streets at 3:00AM criminals want to stay unseen that is why they operate at night. Lock your doors cars and shut the garage doors. There is no crime free areas anywhere.

[von949]

People also forget that crimes do not just happen in your neighborhood. They happen around the workplace, when you go out for lunch or where ever you go to get entertained. I belive so far there have been at least 3 military members that have been robbed at gun point DURING lunch time around Craig and Losee and the Wal-Mart across the street from the base. There has been a couple of other incidents near the Heart Attack Grill and Diablos that involved attacks, date rape drugs and hit and run.

Crime may not be in your neighborhood, but when you leave your house, be ready.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by DianeV

Okay. But then we're talking about bad neighborhoods that do exist, not about people with irrational fears, right? It's just fair to acknowledge that. That's all I'm saying.

Of course, some people will put on their pom-poms at this point and defend Las Vegas as the perfect place on Earth. I don't know why they do so. But they do.

But the cheerleaders have a point. Las Vegas crime isn't bad at all for a city this size. For instance, there are parts of the Miami metro area that I would not visit day or night. You couldn't pay me enough to drive through Liberty City -- even in an armored car.

There are no sections of Las Vegas like that.