Grand Junction Crime, By The Numbers
Crime, as we all know is one aspect of life we long to live without. Recently we voted to increase our taxes in order to reduce the crime locally. Ballot measure 1A passed 63% to 37%, meaning voters agree that less crime is worth the increase. But how bad is it, really?
Recently I happened upon a website called neighborhoodscout.com that gives you a look at crime in your area, how it's broken down and how it compares to the rest of the state.
The website allows you to break down an area by demographics, real estate, and crime. So if you're living in an area and want to see how safe it is, or thinking about moving into an area, this tool can be helpful. Our look today is on the overall crime numbers in Grand Junction.
According to this site, Grand Junction is safer than only seven percent of cities in the United States. It goes on to say that Grand Junction resident's chances of being involved in a violent or property crime are 1 in 21. For a reference, it states Chicago is safer than eleven percent of cities, even with an average violent crime of 9.1 per 1,000.
Property crimes (Burglary, theft, arson, vandalism, shoplifting) are at an alarming 44.29 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime here, by comparison, is at 4.26 per 1,000 residents. Your chances of being a victim of a property crime in Grand Junction is 1 in 23. Statewide it's 1 in 38. The biggest problem in Grand Junction according to the report is theft. 36 per 1,000 people can expect to experience a theft of some kind.
With numbers such as these, it's easy to understand why the measure passed. But will it be enough to reduce crime here? Will there be more patrols? Are there going to be enough deputies and officers to help combat this trend?
Time will tell.
Bonus Video: