Crime in Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kodiak: travel, violent crime, banks)

[bailey2227]

I want to know why so many people who live in Alaska say the crime is so bad? I have many friends who live in the Anchorage/Fairbanks/Kodiak areas, and they laugh at me when I say I read about crime on the internet.

I wonder what people's definitions of crime are. If a DUI is considered a crime, then we are on a different page. I would really like to here why people say the crime is so bad there. I've heard amazing things about alaska, and would love to move tehre one day. My wife reads about the crime and says wait a minute.

[Rance]

Virtually none in my community. The occasional DUI... but it's usually some passing through. Into town where there are more peolpe...it is a little worse. I can't help with Anchorage or Kodiak stats.

[mal_flisk]

Having grown up in Chicago, I may have a different take on crime in Alaska. Chicago is not Detroit or Atlanta, but it does have a much higher crime rate than Anchorage. Anchorage has more rapes per capita. Chicago has a higher murder rate, and most other violent crimes you might care to mention. It's a matter of perspective. Anchorage had 19 murders last year. Highest I've seen here. It takes a bit to realize that EVERY murder in Anchorage is front page news, whereas in a really big city, your lucky if it makes page 2 of the metro section. If you take that into account, it might put things into perspective. My $.02 worth.

[tigerlilly]

Living here for 3 years and coming from California, every time we watched the news and there was always shootings, and drugs, more shootings, and realized that Anchorage is it. You have one main city for this huge state and you hear every little thing. Its like if you were in California and Sacramento was the only big city and you had all these little surrounding towns, you are going to here ever little thing that happens. I feel safe, even when I go to Anchorage.

[Blueberry]

I moved to Alaska 16 years ago from the S.F. Bay Area. Down there, I heard about a new, horrific crime or two on a daily basis. When I got here, I hardly ever heard of a crime; furthermore, the ones I did hear about were always solved. Locals blasted Anchorage officials for being proactive and trying to prevent certain crimes (like gang warfare) before those crimes arrived.

Fast forward 16 years... Yes, crime has increased, and the cases are not always solved. Gangs have arrived. It seems like I hear about more murders now than I did then, but it's far from a daily occurrence. It also seems like many of the murders are often related to gang activity. There have been drive-by shootings, but I think that's the exception rather than the rule. While this state has the largest percentage of rapes in the nation, most of those occur to Native women who aren't too street-wise and/or put themselves in risky situations. The sexual offender registry is scary in some areas of the state; again, many of these offenses can sadly be predicted based upon race and personal behavior. Bethel had one of the first school shootings; I lived there when it occurred. Experts said the predicted thing....monitor what your kids are doing and be involved in their lives. In many of the villages (I'm sure the big cities, too), most of the crime is alcohol related. When dry communities remain dry, crime is at a minimum; when they go damp or wet, crime dramatically increases.

Tourists face their biggest risk at trailheads. Don't leave valuables in plain sight. However, there are some hooligans who will vandalize the care just because they can.

I believe random crime is still pretty rare, even in the big cities. The exception to this may be car theft and burglaries/vandalism that occur while parked at the mall; however, I haven't heard about this being a problem for awhile. (Someone from one of the cities might have a better take on this.) If you engage in risky behavior and/or hang out with people who do, chances are you will be exposed to some sort of crime. Otherwise, I believe Alaskans are pretty safe, but it always pays to be on your guard and think scenarios through ahead of time.

[Blueberry]

<dupe>

Aarrgh! I hate my ISP! (Oops ... Did I say hate?) My bad. I should reserve that emotion for the really, really evil things in life. My service might be really, really, really bad , but I can't say it's evil. -- It just makes me think evil thoughts!

Whew! That felt good!!!

Rant over. We can now resume our regular broadcasting and continue to dispense good advice. Thank you for listening!

[alaskangirl]

The crime rates in Alaska depend on your view of crime. Now, in Fairbanks, it's pretty laid back. Things happen, of course, but it's a fairly nice place. Anchorage is turning into a miniture big city or something, but I've never had any problems there (which I traveled to once a month when I could). But, that's if you're talking about murder, stealing and so on. Now, molestation is the highest in Alaska. Three in five girls are molested and two in five boys; to me that's a crime. So, it all depends on which crimes you have in mind.

[AKMammabear]

I have lived here for 12 years (on the same street, too!) and only once been a 'victim of crime' (someone broke into my truck)

Crime is what the news makes of it: if it is a slow news day, they report all the crime for that day and it seems like the whole day was crime infested.

[Rainy]

The stats might be high but...I really think that people have more control here over what happens to them. Most of the crime isn't all that random at all and in concentrated within certain lifestyles.

[mal_flisk]

Amen to that Rainy. Lifestyle is what drives alot of these crimes. Drugs, alcohol, and bad companions lead to bad choices.