How to Check Crime Rate by Address Using Public Maps
You can check crime near any address with a police crime map for your city, then widen the view with a county or national tool. Each source covers different areas and years, so read its scope before comparing.
Here's how to check crime rate by address: start with the public crime map from your city or county police department. Many cities and counties publish crime maps you can search by address. [1] [2]
Fort Worth's One Address tool, for example, lets you enter one address and view crime information along with permits and code violations. [1] San Diego's police site offers crime maps for locations across San Diego County. [2]
Some state and national tools cover larger areas and show broader statistics. The Crime Data Explorer lets you find statistics about different types of crime nationally or in your state, county, or town. [3] Use it to compare one address with a wider area.
Third-party maps also exist, but check where their data comes from before you rely on one.
What should you know before you search?
Before you search, know what a crime map can and cannot show. Three things decide whether the numbers mean anything for your address.
Confirm your police department is included
A crime map only shows incidents from agencies that send it their data. Your city police and your county sheriff may not report to the same map. On CrimeMapping.com, you define your area of interest, then verify that the local law enforcement agency for that area is providing data to the site [4]. If your department is missing, a low count tells you nothing about your street.
Use an exact address or a small radius
Start with the full street address, or a small radius around it. Results can differ from one block to the next, so a wide area can blend a busy commercial corridor with a quiet residential street. For example, a search covering a whole ZIP code may hide the difference between the block you would live on and the one a mile away. Use the same radius for every address you compare.
Read the date range
Every map shows the dates its data covers, so read them before you compare anything. Recent months and older years may not be directly comparable. If one address shows six months of data and another shows three years, the totals are not a fair match. Use the same time period for each address.
How do you search your city's police crime map?
To check crime for one address, start with your city police department's crime data page and search that exact address. In Fort Worth, the tool is called One Address.
- Open your city police department's crime data page. In Fort Worth, that tool is One Address.
- Enter the full street address and choose the search option that shows crime information for that location. One Address lets you enter one address and view crime information along with permits, code violations, and other city information. [1]
- Read the list of incident types and dates returned for the address and the nearby area. Each entry shows what was reported and when, so you can see the kinds of activity near that address.
The same steps work for any address you want to compare, one at a time. Run each address with the same search settings so the results line up.
San Diego
In San Diego, the process uses a different site. The police department's site lets you view crime maps for locations across San Diego County. [2]
The site also shows citywide and neighborhood crime information, so you can look at the wider pattern first. Then move to the map view for your street to see how the nearby blocks compare. [2]
How do you widen the search beyond one address?
Use three public tools to widen the search beyond one address, working from the broadest view down to your block. Each tool adds a different layer, so use them in the order below.
- Open the Crime Data Explorer to find statistics for your state, county, or town. Use it to see the pattern across different types of crime for the larger area around your address. [3]
- Go to CrimeMapping.com and define an area of interest around your address. Then confirm that the local law enforcement agency for that area is providing data to the site before you rely on the results. [4]
- Browse SpotCrime by state to see recent reported crimes near a location. Explore the map to look at incidents close to your address, not only the totals from step one. [5]
Compare the same time period across each tool before drawing conclusions. If one tool shows a set of months, set the others to those same months. Mismatched dates can make a single busy month look like a trend.
A county figure covers a much larger area than a map centered on your block, so the two will not match. Read the tools side by side, and note where they agree and where they differ. If they disagree, the difference often comes from the size of the area each tool covers.
Are commercial crime maps worth using?
Commercial crime maps are worth a second look, but they should not be your only source. Start with your local police crime map, then use a commercial map to compare what you see.
Police maps come directly from the agency that takes the reports. That makes them the primary check for any address you are considering.
Commercial options
ADT offers an interactive crime map for cities and neighborhoods [6]. ADT is a security company, so its map reflects one company's tool rather than an official record.
LexisNexis offers a Community Crime Map that you can open to check an area [7]. Enter the exact address or neighborhood you are considering, then compare the result with the police map for the same place.
Option | Run by | Scope shown | Role for you |
|---|---|---|---|
Police crime map | Your local police agency | The agency's own records | Primary check |
ADT crime map | ADT, a security company | Cities and neighborhoods | Second look |
LexisNexis Community Crime Map | LexisNexis | Areas you search | Second look |
The police map is the only option in the table that comes from the agency itself. The two commercial maps rely on their own data sources, so their results can differ from the police map.
For example, if the police map lists several thefts on a block and a commercial map shows none, check the date range and coverage on each before deciding. A difference between maps is a reason to look more closely, not a final answer.
What mistakes should you avoid when reading crime data?
Most mistakes with crime maps come from comparing numbers that are not really comparable. Avoid the four errors below and your reading of an address will be far more reliable.
Don't set a busy downtown block against a quiet residential street as if they were the same. A downtown block has more people, businesses and foot traffic, so it is likely to log more incidents in a year. Compare streets of similar size and activity instead, or look at the same block over several years.
Don't judge an area by one month or one incident type. A single burglary spike can make a quiet street look dangerous, and a low total can hide a steady pattern of one offense. Look at several months and at the offense categories side by side. The LVMPD dashboard lets the public search crime reports by offense, location and date reported, which makes this comparison easier [8].
Don't assume every map covers every agency. A map can only show the data that agencies send it. CrimeMapping.com asks you to verify that the local law enforcement agency for your area provides data to the site [4]. If your agency is missing, an empty or clean-looking map tells you nothing about your street.
Finally, don't treat one statistic as proof that a place is the safest choice. A crime count is one factor alongside housing costs, property type and local conditions. Use it to narrow your list, then compare several neighborhoods before you decide. Related reading: Safest Neighborhoods in Fayetteville NC: How to Compare Areas Fairly.
What is the simplest way to check an address?
The simplest way to check an address is to start with your city or county police crime map and search the exact street address. It shows the incidents reported closest to that location, so it gives you the most local picture before you look at anything wider.
Next, widen the view with a state, county, or national tool, such as the Crime Data Explorer, which provides statistics for your state, county, or town [3]. Use the same time period in each tool so the numbers line up. Before you compare neighborhoods, read each tool's scope. CrimeMapping.com depends on local agencies providing data, so verify that your area's agency feeds it [4]. For the next step, see Safest Neighborhoods in Wichita KS: How to Read the Crime Data.
Your next step: open your police department's crime map, search your address, and note the date range it shows.