Is My New Community Safe?

Realtors are often asked about the level of crime in an area and whether they think a community is a safe place to live. Having been a Lakeville Police Officer for many years, safety and security are very important issues to me. As a real estate broker, I can’t provide that information directly to buyers because of real estate regulations, so I’ve listed some ways that buyers can find crime information. I will also show you how to determine if any level 3 sex offenders are currently living in your prospective neighborhood.

How Do I Find Out if My Community is Safe?

• The best source of information about crime in cities or neighborhoods is your local police department. Many departments have web sites that provide that information and most police officers are happy to talk with you about it. Visit the Lakeville Police Department web site by clicking on this link.
• Another great information source is the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, also known as the BCA. The BCA compiles crime statistics on all the communities and counties in Minnesota and lists this information under the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) section of their annual report. Just click on the above link and then click on the latest year available, which is currently 2006. The information on arrests by county and agency begins on page 71 of the 2006 Uniform Crime Reports section.
• Level 3 sex offenders are the most likely to re-offend and they must notify the local police department when they are moving into a community. The Minnesota Department of Corrections keeps an updated registry of these offenders along with their current address, photograph and information on past offenses. You can access the registry by clicking on this DOC link. Just enter the county, city or zip code that you’re interested in and it will identify any offenders in that area. A search on 02/04/2008 shows that there are four level 3 sex offenders in Dakota County, and none in Lakeville or surrounding communities, at the present time.

Possibly related posts:

1. Welcome to my Blog!
2. The Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride is coming to Lakeville!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.