crime rate stats (Poteau, Vian: travel, home, high crime)

[nocoldiron]

I keep investigating information on towns in Oklahoma and finding high crime rates in small towns.I know there can be a ton of factors (depressed economy,drugs,under financed police,etc.) contributing but does looking at the type of crime tell me anything?Just cause I have the information doesn't mean I know what to do with it.Anybody want to give a lecture on interperting statistics?

[Synopsis]

I guess it depends on the source, what types of crime, and how they are reported. I'm from Oklahoma (now living in Texas), and my employer is in Oklahoma so I travel there frequently on business aside from visiting my relatives. I don't ever feel insecure or threatened. I'm curious as to where you would get decent or accurate crime statistics on small towns in Oklahoma, or anywhere for that matter. I'm not being obstinate, just curious.

[nocoldiron]

On City-Data Forum home page you can go to the state,the city,and find the crime statistics for most cities(even the little ones)in the detailed information about the city.They are broken down into type and total against the national average.I look at these stats whenever I research a small town.Try looking at Poteau and Vian Oklahoma.I believe each area has distinctly differant types of crime.I'm not sure I understand what I am looking at or what it signifies about an area.

[Synopsis]

One thing that I find a little deceptive about crime rates is (I think) they base them on crimes *reported.* So, in areas like burglary and property theft it could be the people are more diligent about reporting such crimes to the police, whereas in areas it is indeed more prevalent residents just throw up their hands and do nothing. I'm not saying this is the case, but it could be so. Now, rapes and murders are a different story, those will tend to be reported or found out by the police by the sheer nature of their violence.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would think violent crimes (rapes and murders) are more of the types that I would focus on when deciding upon an area.

[Synopsis]

You have a point about Poteau. Although murder and rape are low, the assaults and thefts are off the board. I would talk with the local police dept. and find out more. My guess would be that they have meth problems,which are becoming a plague upon small towns in Oklahoma and elsewhere in rural america. Alot of it happens because of poverty in these small towns, and perhaps teens not having alot to do (in their opinion). When I was a kid we found fun in everything, from making dams on creeks to just hanging out and skipping rocks across a lake or pond. Time have indeed changed.