Crime - what is Reno/Sparks doing about it? (salons, foreclosure)

[Avaria.x]

I moved to Tahoe (loved it up there) back in the early 90's, but those long cold winters and working 2 jobs to make ends meet finally got me off the mountain and down into Reno. I wanted to go back to college so I moved away, and since then have lived all over - but I like the location of Reno and I think the town has a TON of potential.

I am very outdoorsy and I like to fish, hunt, run, mountain bike, ski, cross country ski, hike, camp, dirt bike, you get the idea. (I'm pretty tom-boyish for a girl.) So Reno is a good fit for me on that level.

I also like that there are lots of things to do in the summer - seems like every weekend there is stuff going on. Hot Air Balloons, farmers markets, concerts, Italian Festival....Again, this is a good fit for me.

I also like that Reno is pandering to big business to try and get them to move there. Many businesses like Amazon, Barns and Nobles, Now foods, and others all have hubs there - and now Apple may be moving in as well. I would hope that Reno's long term goal is to also bring in higher paying jobs - we shall see - but at least they have a plan to bring in business.

What scares the CRAP outta me about Reno is when I read the paper or watch the local news. Wow - the past few days there have been muggings with a gun to your face. The last guy got beat with a baseball bat at 6am walking to his car for work! You also have bank robberies, lots of break ins, theft, stabbings, murders, etc. And it seems, from an outside perspective, that nothing much is being done about this.


Does Reno have a plan for lowering the crime issue?
Do they have a plan for dealing with all the crack heads in the area?

It sickens me to see so much crime in a town that I feel has great potential. I mean its close to everything, the mountains are beautiful to look at, you have wild mustangs meandering throughout the SE, and you have four seasons that are fairly mild. (Compared to other parts of the country) And you have great skiing near by, lots of outdoor activities, things to do, and you are only a few hours drive to something different/new in any direction.

So........

Again, my question is....
What is Reno/Sparks going to do about the crime issue?
And if its "nothing" then why?

I'm asking because I am considering moving back - based on Reno's location alone it is a great fit. But after living in some almost totally crime free cities like Boise, it makes it a tough decision.

Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer my questions.

[braindead0]

What are YOU doing about it? And what crime issue? compared to what/where?

Take responsibility for your own safety/security and crime becomes a non issue.

[jamesd1967]

I have lived in Reno for years. At this time, I am not there, but I would have absolutely no objection to moving back someday. It all depends upon the neighborhood. Up by the University is a pretty safe area; however, just a couple/three blocks over, East Fourth, East Fifth, East 6th, to the 9th is not so great. Some streets off from East 4th, Spokane Avenue comes to mind is a rough area, and I wouldn't go there in the broad daylight let alone the night. Downtown can get seedy, but there are always tons of law enforcement around. Transients, drug addicts, etc bring the issues. South Reno is really good, North Reno is fine, the road to Sparks, not so hot, anything that says 4th st, east or west not really good.

[cre8lite]

while i am not familiar with crime in all the areas up there, why not check out fernley? or dayton? they are close enough to reno so you can do all the things you like to do, but far enough away you've got none of the "big city" crime to deal with....

[Avaria.x]

Originally Posted by braindead0

What are YOU doing about it? And what crime issue? compared to what/where?

Take responsibility for your own safety/security and crime becomes a non issue.

What am I doing about it?
- Well, ever since my cape tore last year, it has hindered my ability to leap over tall buildings and fight crime.

Better yet, what are YOU doing about crime in Compton? Oakland? Detroit?
Because I don't live in Reno - so how could I possibly do anything about it?

What crime issue?
Do you live in a cave? Do you not read the paper? Watch the Reno news? Read crime stats? Reno has some of the highest crime in the nation - on par with Inglewood California. They have high theft, robbery, murder...they also have drive by's, gangs, and bank robberies.

Compared to....oh I don't know...anywhere!

And what do you mean take responsibility? There are lots of people who live in nice areas that get robbed all the time. And just the other day a man was walking to his car to go to work and he got robbed.

Why would YOU blame a victim of crime anyway instead of BLAMING the person committing the crime?

Anyway - I did some research and it seems like there really is no plan on fixing the bad crime / drug problem in Reno - sad.

[mamacatnv]

This is my thought based on nothing scientific just observations.

It seems that as the economy got worse and as the unemployment and foreclosure rates rose, so too did the incidents of crime, armed robberies etc. The armed robberies of small businesses like dry cleaners and tanning salons were not something I really ever remember occurring and I lived in Reno for 19 years. The past couple of years it seemed we heard of more and more and I truly believe it is because people are getting more and more desperate.

What can be done???? Jobs, the area needs decent jobs with decent pay.

[bigdave01]

You can not base crime of off reading the newspaper. Reno IMO is an extremely safe city, and has a relatively low crime rate. Maybe you're used to small towns, IDK where you're from but Reno's crime rate is pretty good compared to the national average. Not to mention that crime has decreased every year in Reno since 2005.

While there are definitely some run down parts of the city, there is absolutely no where in town that I would be afraid to walk at night. I can not say the same of Sacramento(where I'm from).

In 2010 Reno's crime index was 277.4, compared to the national average of 319.1. That national average includes every single official city, small town, and suburb in the country. Obviously its not comparable to Tahoe, but for its size I would say Reno is pretty safe. Now there are a disproportionate number of meth-heads and crackheads lol, but I would say they are mostly harmless.

Sorry but this argument is not factually based or accurate. This is how old people who never leave their houses form opinions, by watching the news. How do you suggest lowering crime anyways?



However, I do agree with you that Reno has a great location, and a ton of potential. Even with the down economy I feel the city has really been improving. A lot more businesses opening in downtown and midtown, new roads, etc. I feel that Reno is even a nicer place now than when I moved here two years ago.

[Chancard]

Hello,

My wife and I moved to Reno about 1 year ago, I absolutely agree that Reno has a great location and that everything is in place to make this a great place to live. That was the main reason we moved here, despite the poor job prospects. As a matter of fact, I saw an article on AOL (I think) that ranked Reno as the number 1 worst city to find a job.

I agree with one of the above posters that the economy is clearly recovering in the area, I was able to find a job in April (looked for about 3 months) and was just hired on as a full time employee. The company I work for has continuously been hiring quite a few people in recent months (50 or so since I started).

When the economy will pick up more, it should definitely help with the crime rate but I have never experienced any crime at all and I live out in Stead. I think some crime is to be expected in a city of the size of Reno but would certainly disagree that it's a deterrent to moving or living here.

Regards,
Chancard

[braindead0]

Originally Posted by Avaria.x

What am I doing about it?
- Well, ever since my cape tore last year, it has hindered my ability to leap over tall buildings and fight crime.

Simple, learn to defend yourself and your property. Criminals aren't superheros and it does not take a superhero to defeat them.

Originally Posted by Avaria.x

What crime issue?
Do you live in a cave? Do you not read the paper? Watch the Reno news? Read crime stats? Reno has some of the highest crime in the nation - on par with Inglewood California. They have high theft, robbery, murder...they also have drive by's, gangs, and bank robberies.

Source for that claim. FBI crime stats do no back it up. News by necessity hype crimes and make them seem worse than they are, for a lot of people hearing about a single crime 50 times makes them think that 50 crimes have happened. Perceptions are not facts.

Originally Posted by Avaria.x

And what do you mean take responsibility? There are lots of people who live in nice areas that get robbed all the time. And just the other day a man was walking to his car to go to work and he got robbed.

Again, learn to defend yourself, your family and your property. Expecting someone else to do that for you is cowardly at best, Police are under no obligation to protect you and quite frankly rarely ever stop crime.

Originally Posted by Avaria.x

Why would YOU blame a victim of crime anyway instead of BLAMING the person committing the crime?

Who said that? I said take responsibility for your own protection and defense. The Supreme Court has affirmed in case after case that Law Enforcement Officers are under NO OBLIGATION to protect you ( See DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services and Warren v. District of Columbia for just two rulings regarding this). That means it's up to you. If 'victims' fought back violent crime would nearly go away, and what does happen would be far less damaging.

Originally Posted by Avaria.x

Anyway - I did some research and it seems like there really is no plan on fixing the bad crime / drug problem in Reno - sad.

What research?

You come in here making wild claims about an area you do not live and provide no sources. What do you expect?

[Biggest Little Drunk]

OMG the crime and traffic in Reno! Compared to Yerrington! I'm from Democratic People's Republic of Calistan and even a city with the same population of Reno like Stockton you better drive in an armored car with body guards. Reno is Disneyland. The only troubles Reno had was in 1995, yes, 1995 when we still had casette decks in our cars and pagers. I'm really surprised crime hasn't blown up since the Great Recession but my theory is that most young people are living with/off their parents in Reno or selling drugs to get by or maybe sleeping with wealthy housewives for money, that's my fantasy at least and I'm sticking to it, literally.