Crime Statistics
by Lindsey Lee

The following presents trends in property and violent crimes in the two police beats (3B10 & 3B30) which patrol all of Oak Forest. Beat 3B10 patrols the area from Hempstead Hwy/Fairbanks N. Houston to White Oak Bayou, and 610N to Tidwell. Beat 3B30 patrols the area from White Oak Bayou to Shepherd, and 610N to Pinemont (see Local Area Beat Map).

This discussion is not a survey of crime within the neighborhood of Oak Forest, rather the beats that patrol Oak Forest and the surrounding neighborhoods, including the sections of 290 and Hempstead Hwy corridors as well as Northwest Mall. 10% of 3B10’s area is composed of Oak Forest residents and 33% of Beat 3B30’s area is Oak Forest residents

Table 1 (below) presents the total number of criminal acts reported to the Houston Police Department per year from 1999 to 2002 for eight criminal activities:

• Murder
• Rape
• Aggravated Assault
• Burglary
• Burglary of a Motor Vehicle (stealing items from a vehicle)
• Auto Theft (stealing a vehicle)
• Drug Laws

From 1999 to 2002, total criminal activities reported to the Houston Police Department increased from 3,080 to 3,525 acts, or at an Annual Growth Rate (AGR) of 4.6% per year. The primary sources of these increases in criminal activity over the three year period were auto theft and burglary of a motor vehicle. From 1999 to 2002, auto theft increased by 10.6% per year and burglary of a motor vehicle increased by about 7.2%. These two categories dubbed “crimes of convenience” by the HPD have jumped significantly in large part to due to new homeowners unfamiliar with safeguarding possessions. HPD recommends that people remove valuables from your autos before locking them for the night. Be aware of others watching you and your surroundings. If someone see you lock items in your trunk, they are valuable enough for others to steal. Keep your cars out of the street at night. Lights with motion sensors in the driveway are another good way to deter criminal behavior. For more info, visit: www.ci.houston.tx.us/department/police/prevention.htm.