Safety and Security in Houston, Texas

Published August 18th, 2017 | By

Houston, Texas. The Space City. Ranking just below Chicago as the fourth largest city in America, and the largest city in the state of Texas, Houston brings a wealth of culture, history, education, and more to not only the state of Texas, but to the country as a whole. Recognized as a global city, Houston’s industry contributes to the entire global economy.

Houstonians abide by an honest life and work hard to make it a place that all residents and visitors can feel proud of calling home. Based off several metropolitan studies, Houstonians have plenty reason to feel good about making a permanent home in the area.

According to an analysis of 100 metro areas by U.S. News, which looked at factors such as the job market, net migration, and value, Houston ranks at number 20 as one of the most desirable metro areas to live in. The report also found that Houston provides a better home living value when compared to similarly sized areas, based on median household income and home costs.

While it’s easy to bask in such positive statistics, it is also important to recognize that crime accounts for some rather significant statistics within the Houston area. While larger crime rates will naturally occur given a larger population, Houston does seem to suffer from larger crime rates well above the national average. According to AreaVibes.com, Houston’s crime rate sits at 88% percent higher than the national average.

These numbers are not meant to scare away anyone from making a living in Houston, but it is important to put some of these issues into perspective. In keeping the focus with home security, we are going to look at burglaries in Houston, and what can be done to minimize the risk of anything happening to you.

Burglaries in Houston

Since 2001, Houston has experienced pretty consistent annual burglaries, ranging where from roughly 19,000 to as high as just above 29,000. The good news, according to trends published by City-Data.com, is that burglary rates have steadily declined since 2009. In fact, given data collected since 2001, burglaries in Houston were at their lowest in 2015 with 19,859 reported incidents. This means 872.8 burglaries per 100,000 people living in Houston. The state average in Texas is 412 burglaries per 100,000 people. 

Auto thefts have also seen a general decline in recent years, falling from 19,465 thefts in 2007 to 12,281 in 2011. There was, however, a small jump in years beyond.

While all forms of crime serves as a source of large concern for any community, burglary accounts for a rather small makeup of overall crime in Houston. According to City-Data.com, burglaries (where only a break-in occured) made up 16% of all crime in Houston in 2015. Theft made up an overwhelming majority of all crime, account for 54%. Keep in mind that the term theft covers a lot of ground, where it may not necessarily indicated home break-ins. More statistics about crime in Houston can be seen here.

Safe Neighborhoods in Houston

Despite the numbers discussed above, Houston’s size opens up the door to a multitude of safe areas to live in.

With data pulled from the FBI and U.S. Census, Niche.com recently provided a list of the Safest Neighborhoods in the Houston Area in 2017:

  1. Lake Houston
  2. Kingwood
  3. Addicks Park Ten
  4. Westbranch
  5. Hunterwood
  6. Braeswood
  7. Afton Parks / River Oaks Area
  8. Clear Lake
  9. Langwood
  10. Meyerland

More information from Niche, including user input, can be found here. 

While “safer” neighborhoods tend to tag along higher home prices, an initial search finds that these top-rated neighborhoods are reasonably accessible. Westbranch for instance has homes listed on Realtor.com for under $200K, and Hunterwood has new builds for under $190K. Compared to other large cities, finding a modestly priced home within the greater city area is rather attainable in Houston. 

Increasing Your Safety

There is little reason to feel apprehensive about feeling safe in Houston. As of 2016, 2.303 million people call the city their home (U.S. Census). With the city being a hub of international tab, medicine, media, and so much more, there’s good reason that the population has steadily grown since 1990.

Living a normal and safe life is completely within reach, and there are plenty of accessible measures that you can take in order to make this happen.

Home Security Systems

One of the most sensible solutions is to make an investment in a monitored home security system. While it may seem unlikely at first, more affluent and middle-class neighborhoods are more likely to be targeted by burglars due to what they believe they can yield. Complacency, whether it’s in Houston or any other city, is not something you want to make a habit of.

Just having a security system installed can do a lot to persuade a would-be burglar to not try anything on your home. Interviews with incarcerated burglars have revealed that they prefer to stick to home without any form of visible security.

Learn about how you can bring 24/7 monitored home security to your Houston home through Choose Home Security. SafeStreets, an Authorized ADT Monitored Home Security provider, is available to Houstonians throughout the greater and metropolitan area. 

SafeStreets and ADT Monitored Home Security offer customers in Houston the ADT Guarantee, which works to protect your investment in home security. You can learn more about the ADT Guarantee and other home security deals in Houston.

Houston Police Department

If you are the victim of a burglary, the Houston Police Department has a dedicated division that focuses strictly on burglary and theft. Several units make up this division, and work to investigate everything from financial crimes (e.g., identity theft, forged documents), metal theft, and more. If you are interested in learning more about the Houston Police Burglary and Theft, Division, click here. 

Remember that with a monitored home security system in Houston, you will be put in touch with the appropriate Houston authorities in the event of an emergency.

With Houston’s size, prospects, and reasonable real estate, there’s little reason to feel doubt about making a home in the Space City. Once you find the neighborhood that’s right for you, you’ll know that you’ve made the right choice for yourself and your family.

Posted in Crime and Safety

General: For all offers, the form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account, satisfactory credit history is required and termination fee applies. Certain packages require approved landline phone. Local permit fees may be required. Certain restrictions may apply. Additional monitoring fees required for some services. For example, Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert monitoring requires purchase and/or activation of an ADT security system with monitored Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide and Emergency Alert devices and are an additional charge. Additional equipment may be purchased for an additional charge. Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. Prices subject to change. Prices may vary by market. Some insurance companies offer discounts on Homeowner’s Insurance. Please consult your insurance company. Photos are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect the exact product/service actually provided.

*$99.00 Customer Installation Charge. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99* per month ($1,007.64). 24-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99* per month ($671.76) for California. Form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account. Offer applies to homeowners only. Local permit fees may be required. Satisfactory credit history required. Certain restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Dealer customers only and not on purchases from ADT LLC. Other rate plans available. Cannot be combined with any other offer. The $27.99* Offer does not include Quality Service Plan (QSP). Quality Service Plan (QSP) is ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty

**ADT 6-Month Money Back Guarantee: Money back service guarantee only applies after ADT has made attempts to resolve a system related issue and has not been able to resolve that issue within the first 6 months of your contract. Equipment must be fully removed before a refund will be processed. Conditions preventing normal system operation cannot be caused by the customer.

†All plans include standard, manually-operated fire panic button on system panel, which must be depressed to alert ADT of smoke or fire. For automatic notification to ADT of smoke, fire or carbon monoxide, a smoke communicator and/or carbon monoxide communicator must be purchased separately. Not available in all states.

††Gift card provided by SafeStreets. Visa gift cards issued by MetaBank™, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Neither MetaBank nor Visa is a sponsor, endorser or participant in this promotion. Monthly inactivity fee of $2.95 after 12 consecutive months of inactivity. Lost/stolen replacement card fee of $5.00. See the cardholder agreement for more details. Some restrictions apply.

‡‡ADT Theft Protection Guarantee: The Customer presenting ADT with this ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE will be eligible to receive a reimbursement of up to five hundred dollars ($500) of Customer’s homeowner’s insurance deductible (if any) if, and only if, ALL of the following requirements are met to ADT’s reasonable satisfaction: (i) the property loss was the result of a burglary that took place while the security system installed at Customer’s protected premises was in good working order and was “on,” and while all of Customer’s doors and windows were locked; and (ii) the intruder entered the residence through a door, window or other area equipped with an ADT detection device, and such detection device was not “bypassed”; and (iii) Customer is not in any way in default under the ADT Residential Systems Customer’s Order; and (iv) Customer files a written claim with their homeowner’s insurance company, and such claim is not rejected or otherwise contested by the insurer; and (v) Customer reports the burglary loss to the appropriate police department and obtains a written police report; and (vi) Customer provides ADT with copies of the insurance claim report, the police report within sixty (60) days of the property loss and proof of settlement by insurance carrier; and (vii) Customer certifies in writing to ADT (by signing this ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE and presenting it to ADT within sixty [60] days of the property loss) that all of the foregoing requirements have been satisfied. Customer understands that presentation of this ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE signed by Customer is required and understands that ADT reserves the right to reject any application for reimbursement that does not comply with ALL of the requirements. Photocopies or other reproductions of this Certificate will NOT be accepted. By signing below, Customer certifies to ADT that all of the foregoing requirements have been satisfied. Please mail to: ADT Security Services, Account Management Support Center, Attn: Theft Protection Guarantee Claims, 14200 E. Exposition Avenue, Aurora, CO 80012.

^Same day installation not available in all areas.

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