Public safety

Goal: Our region will be a safe place to life and work.

The health of a region is dependent on the safety of its residents and visitors. People must feel secure in their homes and neighborhoods; they must be comfortable going to and from work, participating in recreational activities, and going out at night. Freedom from crime and the fear of crime promotes neighborhood connections, housing stability, an area's business climate and its economic future.

what's happening

Property crime rates are generally lower this decade than they were in the 1990s. However, the violent crime rate, in decline since the mid-1990s, grew 25 percent from 2005 to 2006. Victimization rates-including both reported and unreported crimes-tend to be higher for those living in the central cities as well as those with lower incomes.

making connections

When people have opportunities for education and to participate in the economy, they are much less likely to perpetrate a crime. When people are the victims of crime, they may experience deterioration in their physical and mental health.