Crime in Dallas (Houston, Plano, Garland: low crime, house, neighborhoods)

[lukeache]

I am from Minneapolis-St Paul and as I am reading the Dallas Morning News I am amazed by how many cases of burglary/home invasions are reported in the Dallas-Ft Worth area. This is one kind of crime that is very RARE here in Minnesota, in fact, leaving doors unlocked is not uncommon, even in the not so good parts of Minneapolis. Is this a concern or am I imagining things? When I lived in Houston(more precisely, in the NE suburbs), I remember myself being much more concerned and aware about crime and my surroundings than here in Minneapolis. Also, I remember driving back from downtown Houston late at night and many gas stations would be open but locked (This is something that I have never seen here in Minnesota) Anyways, is it my impression or robberies, home invasions and burglaries are very high in Dallas and Houston compared to other cities of similar size???

[momof2dfw]

I've always thought it was worse in other large metro cities when I'm watching the news while visiting. Of course the news is only going to have the bad crimes to report so it is always going to make it look bad. As for the crime in Dallas, read a little deeper into the stories. Pay attention to where in the metroplex these things happen. If you don't have a good Dallas Mapsco get one. Look up the addresses and see where they tend to concentrate. You will find that these crimes tend to occur in more concentrated areas than just all over the place. Sure every now and then there may be something that happens in an area where nothing like it has before and won't for a very long time but by and large you will see the patterns. As for the crimes themselves and WHY certain homes/people were targeted - mostly drugs. Sometimes it is a relationship gone bad and one spouse does not want the other to "live w/o them". Someone messed w/ another persons "girl" or something. Again, these all happen in concentrated areas of the metroplex. Living in a decent area where you know your neighbors, don't do drugs, don't get involved w/ gangs, don't pick up girls that have a boyfriend, don't date the over controlling type, etc and you will be fine. Don't drive down say Martin Luther King Blvd at 2am in your lowered Caddie w/ custom rims, flashing your grill, blowin kisses at the honeys, etc and you will be fine. Basically just know what goes on around you.

Doors unlocked: I don't make this the norm at all but we have come home and found we accidently left the door unlocked or left a car in the driveway unlocked all night or weekend. Nothing has happened so far. As for the home invasions - I don't open my door to strangers period. There was a group going around the McKinney area awhile back. A young lady would ring the bell and give a speil that she was an art student and asked if you minded giving assesements of her work and then she would signal to her two friends waiting down a few doors in a van and they would barge in and rob them. No one got hurt. I have not heard that they have hit anymore around here since then.

As for the gas stations. Yes you will see many that are closed on the inside but the pumps are still open. A few are open all night on the inside but not many. Too hard to find people to work then and the profit is not there - more smart business move than crime related in some cases. Even some SuperWalmarts don't stay open 24/7 now. Business have to decide if their area makes it profitable to stay open all night.

[johnmarg]

I think crime in Dallas is like any other big city. If you live in a nice suburb, esp. the north side, you have no worrries. City data has crime rates for each city. It is very helpful. Choose Southlake for example and crime is very low. Other areas, esp south of Dallas are very high. Look at the college grad rate and per capita income. High rates equal low crime.

[MaryS80]

Crime can and does happen anywhere. I leave my door unlocked while I go walk my dog. Heck I even walk my dog 11-12 at nite sometimes. As for leaving cars unlocked, I wouldn't risk it. Car break ins are pretty common, it's happened to me twice. Actual car theft isn't that common, most of the time they break in cars looking for something of value.

All in all violent crime is low in and around the Dallas area. The best thing to do is take preventative measures and be cautious. I can tell you how many times they show interview people on the news who "never imagined something like that happening in (insert popular suburb)"

[galore]

Originally Posted by johnmarg

If you live in a nice suburb, esp. the north side.

That isn't true. You think that burglars don't have cars? If I was a burglar, I'd drive to the areas where the money is.

I remember very well the string of burglaries up around Firewheel, where burglars broke into cars and used the garage door remote to enter the house via the garage...

[Lakewooder]

I've never had a problem in East Dallas. I have left my front door wide open by mistake and gone to the store and nothing happened. Today I let my car run to cool off and went back into the house for a few minutes to get some things. No problem...

I also sometimes sleep with the windows open if it is cool.

I think mom is right - many times these crimes have some motive that is personal.

[USA_Mom]

I think you have to be smart. We try to lock our doors at night, occasionally we didn't--nothing happened. But criminals DO drive to where the money is. My aunt lives in an area that a lot of people consider high crime (Garland), but nothing has happened to her or her belongings. She's lived there since late 70s. OTOH my father and his wife lived in a so-called "safe" upper middle class area and were robbed (this was in California) and my husband's boss (Texas) has been robbed in his upscale neighborhood.

[KewGee]

There is NO crime in Dallas............just kidding.

[RandylovesFrisco]

I think when you have a city the size of Dallas you would be a fool to think that crime is low...Agreed most of what you will see in those reports are concentrated into certain areas of the metro...We never had a problem up North ie...McKinney, Frisco, Allen, even Plano...community watch groups help as well...

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by RandylovesFrisco

We never had a problem up North ie...McKinney, Frisco, Allen, even Plano...community watch groups help as well...

Don't know if I'd say NEVER. Absolute crime rates are definitely lower, but far from non-existant.

Community watch groups certainly do help. Many neighborhoods offer them. Dallas PD works with some of the groups here in Dallas proper, and have made a big difference.