Crime Stats (Anchorage: moving, streets, live)

[tessa_marie]

I'm glad I pulled this thread. I just recieved three emailed from someone who obviously read my post about how I recieved and accepted a job offer in Anchorage. I'm so excited about taking the job that I've booked my flight and I'll be arriving in a few weeks. This person has sent me some information about how deadly/dangerous the city is and I don't know if they're trying to help me out or scare me off. Regardless, I'm kind of offended they would assume that I don't know anything about what I'm doing. But reading this thread makes me realize that despite the higher than normal crime rate, as long as I keep my head about me and stick to what I know and stay w/ the people I know, I should be just fine. I did spend three years in some of the ghetto-est of ghettos in Milwaukee WI and survived! But maybe I will pick up some mace when I get to Anch. Hmmm....

[Rance]

You'll be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid. Like go to bars and accept drinks from strangers (rather than a bartender or waitress), use your head when parking etc, lcok doors and other basic steps for home security.

[cobolt]

It's not any more dangerous than any other city. Most places with concentrations of people have their issues, but the degree of crime in Anc compared to most lower 48 cities is nothing to be shaking in your boots about. Keep your wits about you and enjoy your move!!

[Double]

I saw a lot of hints that Alaskan women are at fault for going to bars and getting drunk. Not so sure about that, but I will move on.

Taking precautions is never a bad idea. Your concerns aren't really about Anchorage alone, but life in general. I like the advice about taking self defense classes, buying a dog, carrying pepper spray. Those type of things will give you more confidence wherever you end up.

There should be a lot more that goes into your decision about where to live and work than the crime. You can probably find 20 more positive things to look forward to when you move there. Just use common sense and enjoy living life in one of the most beautiful cities around.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by tessa_marie

I'm glad I pulled this thread. I just recieved three emailed from someone who obviously read my post about how I recieved and accepted a job offer in Anchorage. I'm so excited about taking the job that I've booked my flight and I'll be arriving in a few weeks. This person has sent me some information about how deadly/dangerous the city is and I don't know if they're trying to help me out or scare me off. Regardless, I'm kind of offended they would assume that I don't know anything about what I'm doing. But reading this thread makes me realize that despite the higher than normal crime rate, as long as I keep my head about me and stick to what I know and stay w/ the people I know, I should be just fine. I did spend three years in some of the ghetto-est of ghettos in Milwaukee WI and survived! But maybe I will pick up some mace when I get to Anch. Hmmm....

If you can survive Milwaukee, then Anchorage will be a walk in ...a well lit, secure... park. The majority of the criminal activity in Anchorage can be found in three Anchorage districts: Mountain View, Spenard, and Muldoon.

Avoiding those areas will significantly reduce your risk of encountering criminal activity. Although, I lived in Mountain View for 3 years and never had a problem. In the 12 years I lived in Anchorage I never had anyone try to rob me, burglarize my home, or steal my vehicle. But then again, I'm not a women, so my perspective isn't the same.

[Love2all]

Anchorage doesn't have that dangerous feel to it that many cities in the lower 48 do. Just follow the advice of the previous posters and you'll be fine.

Jogging and biking on the trails around the city can be hazardous. I've heard of attacks by bears seeing joggers run by which can trigger the chase response. My god the trails are beautiful, but they really are wilderness compared to like trails in the lower states.

[Rance]

In the paper last night I found a small ad claiming Anchorage was recently rated the
125th most dangerous out of 378 cities rated. Looks like Detroit is number one most dangerous. No other Alaskan cities were ranked.

Supposed to be more info at www.cqpress.com or ASC - The American Society of Criminology

[jksouthbay88]

I got this from Wikipedia.org.
Check it out.
Public safety
Crime rate in Anchorage, 2005
compared with Alaska overall,
with cities of comparable population,
and with the U.S. overall Rate of
violent crimes
per 100,000
population Rate of
property crimes
per 100,000
population
Anchorage[10] 735.6 4,116.1
Alaska[11] 631.9 3,612.5
U.S. cities of population
100,000-249,999[12] 616.2 4,648.4
U.S. cities of population
250,000-499,999[12] 1,015.0 5,584.9
U.S. total[11] 469.2 3,429.8
Source of data: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The UCR program collects data on certain types of crime reported to participating law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. The UCR category of violent crime includes of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The UCR category of property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

With an authorized strength of 544 sworn and civilian positions, the Anchorage Police Department is the largest police department in the state, serving an area of nearly 200 square miles (500 km²) with a population of over a quarter million people. The current chief of police is Rob Heun. Other law enforcement agencies in Anchorage include the University Police Department at University of Alaska Anchorage, the Airport Police and Fire Department at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and offices of various federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and others. The Alaska State Troopers have their headquarters in Anchorage.[13]

The Fire & EMS Operations Division of the Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) includes thirteen fire stations with over 300 personnel covering three rotating 24-hour shifts. Additionally, there are volunteer fire departments in Girdwood and Chugiak and fire departments on Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson, as well as the Airport Police and Fire Department.[14]

In 2005, the latest year for which data is available, Anchorage reported 735.6 violent crimes per 100,000 population and 4,116.1 property crimes per 100,000 population (see table). Anchorage's crime rate, both for violent and property crimes, is higher than for Alaska as a whole or for the U.S. as a whole. When compared with U.S. cities of similar size, Anchorage has a comparable rate of violent crime and a lower rate of property crime. Anchorage, and Alaska in general, have very high rates of sexual assault in comparison with the rest of the country, with Anchorage's annual rate of forcible rapes over twice as high as for the U.S. as a whole. Alaska Natives are victimized at a much higher rate than their representation in the population.[15]

In 2005, Anchorage Police Department reported:[16]
Violent crimes Property crimes
18 murders 1,783 burglaries
224 rapes 8,248 thefts
384 robberies 1,334 motor vehicle thefts
1,407 aggravated assaults

The Anchorage Community Survey, a public survey conducted in 2004-2005 by the Justice Center at University of Alaska Anchorage, found that overall, Anchorage residents are fairly satisfied with the performance of the Anchorage Police Department.[17] Most survey respondents perceived the justice system to be "somewhat effective" or "very effective" at apprehending and prosecuting criminal suspects, bringing about just outcomes, and reducing crime.[18]

[beckaboo92]

i am currently a female residing in anchorage, and anchorage is not like most other cities its every spread out and not densely populated at all. it all depends on the part of town. downtown between the hours of 3 and 5 are when the majority of rapes are reported and that is around the time when the majority of bars close in the area. so pretty much it all depends in the part of town and the time of day. and as a woman details like the rape rate can be especially frightening, and more so if you live in a home or apartment alone. if you do decide to move to anchorage i would suggest (even though it is common knowledge) don't walk around alone in the middle of the night in a bad part of town.
the crime rate has been especially high this year, but if you investigate that further its not residential areas, its bad parts of town, inconvenient time of night, and gang-bangers.
it all depends like all cities do, if you live in the ghetto, your risks go up.

[Glitch]

I did some research into the matter using two primary sources: The FBI Uniform Crime Report (2006), and the Bureau of the Census 2006 Population Estimates. This is what I found concerning "Forcible Rape."

United States 92,455 (30.9:100,000)
Alaska 509 (76:100,000)

Anchorage Forcible Rape = 248 (2006)
Anchorage Population (Est. July 1, 2006) = 359,180
Anchorage Forcible Rape Ratio = 69 per 100,000

Fairbanks Forcible Rape = 67 (2006)
Fairbanks Population (Est. July 1, 2006) = 86,754
Fairbanks Forcible Rape Ratio = 77.2 per 100,000

Los Angeles Forcible Rape = 1059 (2006)
Los Angeles (Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA) Population (Est. July 1, 2006) = 3,002,048
Los Angeles Forcible Rape Ratio = 35.2 per 100,000

New York Forcible Rape = 1071 (2006)
New York (Nassau-Suffolk, NY) Population (Est. July 1, 2006) = 2,795,377
New York Forcible Rape Ratio = 38.3 per 100,000

Sources:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_04.html;
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_08.html;
http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.xls (broken link)

Anchorage has more than double the national average in forcible rapes. I was not able to obtain the 2006 estimated populations of the smaller cities like Juneau or Kodiak, but it would appear that Anchorage does not have the highest rate of forcible rapes in Alaska, even though it is extremely high.

Based upon the above information, if I were female, I would most definitely buy a concealable firearm, learn to become proficient and self-confident in its use, and take some basic self-defense courses. It might also be a good idea to have a hiking or riding buddy when using the trail systems in Anchorage. Park your vehicle in well-lit areas, and try to avoid going anywhere alone.