[cbmsu01]

It's a city, so it's going to have crime, but why is Lansing considered dangerous? It's crime-rate index was about 500-550 or so, on par with cities such as Denver and San Francisco, which I don't think people consider dangerous. So why is Lansing thought of that way?

[Adieoz]

What is a crime rate index? How is their data calculated. If they use recent crime statistics then last summers serial killer sure could have thrown the numbers out of wack.

[michiganbob]

If you look at the numbers, there are some larger cities that do have comperable crime rates (City-Data's own Crime Index for those wondering. You can find the number for almost any city.) and Lansing's numbers in the 500's over the past few years is above the National average of about 320, BUT: Grand Rapids is also in the 500s and both Flint and Detroit are over 1100, so things could be a lot worse. Last I heard, people still lived in those two cities somehow.

I have lived in Lansing for more than 20 years, work downtown and travel the area a lot and have never felt unsafe. Sure, there are neighborhoods you would not want to go at night and I would never leave my front door unlocked, but I know people in some of the suburbs who still do.

Yes, we did have a serial killer on the loose last summer (5 killed, I think) but for the most part I think the crime stats show more property crimes (petty theft, stolen cars, etc) than violent crimes. Both count toward the total.

Just visit the local newspaper's website (lsj.com) to read about recent crimes . . . there really isn't much to report.

BUT . . . having said all that, if you want to go just by the numbers and can move anywhere you want and need to feel safe, then find someplace with a lower than average crime stat. Even there though, you are still responsible for your own safety and security.

But to answer your question: No, Lansing is not dangerous. Boring sometimes, but not dangerous.

[100%Michigan]

I wouldnt consider lansing dangerous.

[deslok]

I wouldn't consider Lansing dangerous, just smoggy, concrete, and a bit rough.

[CraveCase]

I grew up in a suburb of Detroit ... My boyfriends family is from suburbs of Lansing and they consider "Lansing" to be 'scary' and 'unsafe'. When I go there I just laugh, because it is nothing compared to what you can experience in areas of Detroit (I am not saying all areas are bad by any means). I would say Lansing is the equivalent to the Detroit Suburb of East Detroit or Roseville - not bad areas.

[malamute]

I think how people feel can depend on the kind of violent crime that exists. If it's inter-gang violence and bar fights, domestic abuse, it won't feel as dangerous as the violence which involves strangers, an innocent person at risk of being mugged, killed, raped by complete strangers.

[GalFriday]

I lived in Lansing for several years on the west side by the mall, and on the south side by Kalamazoo St. I'm always aware of my surroundings and always keeping an eye on things, but I never felt unsafe there. The worst thing that might have happened to me was ducking out of the way of a bottle as it was being thrown by a drunk college student after a football game.

[MittenDweller82]

The crime rate is high relative to the size of the city, this is how the government creates and tracks crime statistics. There are much larger cities in the U.S. which have much lower crime rates, the government also considers the type of crime and the severity while calculating such ratings and indexes.

[ckhthankgod]

but how that be the case when there are many cities of that same size that are suburbs of even larger cities? So, to lump of said cities into the same category is misleading, because not all of those cities are urban centers like Lansing is. If it is in comparison to urban centers of a similar size, then that is a different story. It just seems that there is no differentiation between a city of 120,000 that is an urban center like Lansing versus a suburban city of the same size like Livonia outside of Detroit.