2010 FBI Crime Data - Denver Reported High Rape Count (violent crime, home)

[madmj]

I'd like to start out by saying that I understand that this is a very sensitive subject and I mean no offense by starting this thread. My SO and I are visiting Denver soon due to a possible relocation to the area. We have never been there but have both heard some truly great things. We are excited for our trip!

I was reading the Top 10 list on Yahoo today for cities w/ the most violent crime. I followed the link and printed out the 12 page Excel sheet w/ all major metropolitan areas & their different crime levels on it. Anybody interested can find it here (click on "Download Excel") - FBI — Table 4

Denver came in with pretty good comparable statistics in all categories except for forcible rape. There were 358 reported cases which was up from 341 in 2009. This is a pretty extreme amount of rape cases for a city with Denver's population. There does seem to be a higher number of reported rape cases in western cities (see: San Antonio, L.A., San Diego, Oakland). These are some pretty high % compared to some other cities with roughly the same population.

The purpose of starting this thread is to ask the locals if they are aware that the number is so high, and to inquire about possible explanations. Again, I do not mean to offend anyone with this thread, and perhaps this may help to shed some light on the issue.

[TechMike]

I've not heard of that before. I don't even want to begin trying to explain that. Seems like so many factors would be involved here.

[Mike from back east]

I've heard that sometimes the level of a reported crime is due to differences in how local PD's choose to document them.

[madmj]

There are 358 reported cases of Forcible Rape in a city w/ a population of 607,051. By comparison to a similar city, Baltimore (which carries a certain stigma), with a population of 639, 929 had 265 reported cases of Forcible Rape. It's an eye-popping stat, and one that might give pause to a man that is potentially moving into said city who has a woman he cares about. Why is that category of crime so high?

Here are the some other comparable cities in terms of populations: Pop / Cases

Tampa/St. Pete - 591,496 / 152
Seattle - 620,195 / 96
San Fran - 818,594 / 133
Charlotte - 797,733 / 239
Nashville - 616,366 / 365 (pretty close to Denver in both stats)

[livecontent]

If you believe strongly in the statistics then I would suggest do not take the risk with your woman and make a trip to Denver. Certainly, forget about relocating here. I doubt anybody here has the expertise or knowledge to give you an adequate full explanation that you can trust or you would believe--so go with what you got.

Denver would not be hurting with your refusal--there are many more trying to get here. The reputation of the City of Denver still will remain what it is: it will be seen by how it seen; it will be perceived by how it is perceived; it will be lived by how it will be lived--depending on those who will be seeing, perceiving and living.

Livecontent

[madmj]

I linked to the FBI report for crime statistics for 2010. I even posted some similar cities to show the data for comparison. This is a city DATA forum, no?

Live Content: Where did I say anything about a refusal? Why the attack? I felt like I went out of my way in the OP to explain that I've heard nothing but good things and we are excited to make the trip to explore the area....to see where we might live contently.

The stats are simply alarming to me for this ONE area. I don't understand, is an above average number of rapes per citizen not a reasonable cause for concern and question?

I think it's pretty reasonable to ask if there is any level of public recognition regarding this statistic of a horrendous act. This was certainly not at all what I was expecting, and quite honestly I'm kind of shocked. WTH?

[gmm_24]

Your question has no answer. Who knows why sickos rape women? Maybe here it is reported more then in other areas. Most rapes are not reported, so maybe those areas have lower rates due to that.

If you are really worried about it then carry mace, do not go out after dark, stay in well light areas and avoid any possible bad area. You have a higher chance of getting hit with hail or too close to a tornado

[madmj]

Originally Posted by gmm_24

Your question has no answer. Who knows why sickos rape women? Maybe here it is reported more then in other areas. Most rapes are not reported, so maybe those areas have lower rates due to that.

If you are really worried about it then carry mace, do not go out after dark, stay in well light areas and avoid any possible bad area. You have a higher chance of getting hit with hail or too close to a tornado

Thank you for the response Gmm. It was/is certainly meant as an honest question and I appreciate your input.

I'm not necessarily inquiring as to the psychological reason why, but more so the discrepancy in the statistics. I thought about the reporting possibility, and that could be a part. But then the other numbers are all under average. For example, Denver comes in considerably lower than average in murder, violent crimes as a whole, burglary, arson, etc. It's just this one stat that is way above the baseline for all the others.

I would venture a guess that the criminal stats are thoroughly combed over to make them as low as possible before being handed over to the Feds. Also, most of the other stats went down from last year but this stat went up. I would think that city officials would have to be conscience of this, no?

In cities like New haven & Baltimore the residents are generally aware that the murder rates in the city are high. Is this an issue that the Denver city residents are aware of? Are there PSA's or anything like that? Could it be a city layout issue?

[tyler.rrrr]

madmj: To answer your question directly: no, I was not aware the number was so high. I would guess it's just not as prevalent as the stat leads one to believe.

While I can't "explain" the statistic to you, I can tell you this: I lived downtown with my wife (g/f at the time) in a rough section near the homeless shelter, and while she didn't like it, we never had an issue with her being attacked (or worse). Sometimes when she'd walk downtown alone past certain hang-outs, men would whistle at her, but no one ever approached her. All this was North of 20th downtown, a few blocks from the Ballpark. aka, "5 Points" area. In general, the city is very safe. It's pretty obvious when you're venturing into an "unsafe" area. I put that in quotes because it's only unsafe by our sheltered standards, and at night. In general, it's pretty safe all around, especially as a male and/or in daylight. And *especially* if you don't go clubbing until 2am.

Based on my downtown experience (anecdotal, no stats or science), your risk of being around or a victim of violent crime plummets if go home at a decent hour (before midnight). But if you stay until bars close in a rough section of town, you will probably witness a fight or two. If you're not the type that goes out drinking late, you have virtually nothing to fear. It comes back to common sense: be careful when out after dark, stay out of rough sections of town, lock your doors, don't get involved in the drug trade, and don't live on the street. Almost all the crime I witnessed downtown was related to buying/selling drugs near the homeless shelters.

[jeepgirl27]

Originally Posted by madmj

I linked to the FBI report for crime statistics for 2010. I even posted some similar cities to show the data for comparison. This is a city DATA forum, no?

Live Content: Where did I say anything about a refusal? Why the attack? I felt like I went out of my way in the OP to explain that I've heard nothing but good things and we are excited to make the trip to explore the area....to see where we might live contently.

The stats are simply alarming to me for this ONE area. I don't understand, is an above average number of rapes per citizen not a reasonable cause for concern and question?

I think it's pretty reasonable to ask if there is any level of public recognition regarding this statistic of a horrendous act. This was certainly not at all what I was expecting, and quite honestly I'm kind of shocked. WTH?

And thank you for telling us.