Washington State, becoming most violent state????

[skygravel]

Originally Posted by GameHog9

The only other small towns where this happens quite often are in the Yakima Valley (That I know of).

Originally Posted by GameHog9

I have been told that there is a lot of drive bys in Yakima Valley (not necessarily the city).

That's because Yakima and the surrounding area is a breeding ground for Mexican gangs.

[Tiggywinkle63]

I don't want to deny the fact that there is crime in Washington or any other place; certainly crime is out there. But the truth of the matter is that if you watch tv news, or listen to the news on the radio, or read a newspaper, you think that crime is a worse problem than it is, because crime is what is mostly reported as news. Nobody reports on the millions of people going quietly and calmly about their lives in this country without ever being victimized. There's a little girl missing out in McClearly, just down the road a piece from where I am at the end of the world. It's horrible, and I hope they find her. (And there's no evidence yet to suggest she is crime victim, but still.) But how many other little girls in McClearly went home last night and slept in their own beds? There was a big pot bust out here on Thursday or so; they were out digging plants up in the forest for hours. But how many acres of forest are still out there, blessed undisturbed by even so much as a marijuana seed? Who knows? More to the point, who cares? It's not interesting. Nobody is going to watch a newscast that says, "Today in Seattle, thousands of kids went out to play with friends and made it back safe this evening. Thousands of kids on bikes were not hit by cars. Thousands of homes did not catch fire, and thousands of businesses made it through the day without cars going out of control and trying to turn a walk-in business into a drive-through."

You have to understand and accept the news for what it is, and keep a clear eye and a clear head on what is reality. Check the real crime statistics. Violent crime is down all over the country, and has been trending downward for several years now. That's not to deny that crimes happen, but it's just not as bad as you think. A little common sense will keep you and your family safe. Know your neighbours and know your community. In some places it probably is still safe to leave your doors unlocked; in some places it may make more sense to lock your doors and maybe even to have a security system for your home--because property crime is a much bigger problem than violent crime against people (but still not as bad as you think).

I am planning a move to somewhere--haven't decided where yet. I have it narrowed down to a handful of places, and crime rates are one thing I am taking into consideration, as well as the likelihood of being able to find a job, and reasonable housing costs and that kind of thing. It's certainly something to keep in mind--there's that common sense thing--but don't freak out on the basis of the nightly newscasts.

[Dizzydog]

I live in Phoenix and can tell you we have at least 2-3 murders a day, a few bodies found each week, 3-4 kids drowning a week and at least 5-6 major drug busts each month.

Not to mention all the general crime.

Id say Washington is doing ok in comparison.