Quality of Life Indicators

perception of safety data

vehicular fatality rate
violence in schools
juvenile crime
Crime Index
perception of fire safety
perception of physical safety

vehicular fatality rate

Washoe County’s fatality rate per 100,000 population in 2005 ranked 16th in Nevada – reflecting, in part, the low populations in other counties. 

Statistics for vehicular fatalities are available and can be compared to national statistics.  Alcohol-related vehicular fatalities continue to outnumber other causes. As the number of registered vehicles and miles traveled climbs in Washoe County, vehicle and traffic safety will continue to be of concern. 

violence in schools

Several incidents in recent years have received a great deal of media attention.  Schools should be safe havens where the focus can be on education.  Monitoring violence ensures that schools remain safe learning environments. There is a great deal of community concern that serious situations have become more common in recent years.  Violence to students and staff are down, but possession of a controlled substance incidents are up dramatically. 

juvenile crime

Juvenile crime is a small fraction of all crime in Washoe County. According to the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Crime, and Justice in Nevada 2006 report, 12.86% of all arrests were juveniles.  Nevada Department of Public Safety

According to Washoe County District Attorney, Richard Gammick, gang membership is growing at a rate of approximately 5% a year, however, gang crime accounts for less than 5% of all crime.  Washoe County source

Highlights of a Bureau of Justice study regarding violent crime victims under 18 included the following:

• The number of victimizations by violent crime per 1,000 teenagers dropped from about 130 victimizations in 1993 to about 60 in 2003
• On average, juveniles (ages 12-17) were more than twice as likely as adults (age 18 or older) to be the victim of violent crime from 1993 to 2003.
• Older teens (15-17) were about 3 times more likely than younger teens (12-14) to be the victim of a violent crime involving a firearm.
• Juveniles were involved as victims or offenders in 38% of all violent crimes in which the victim could estimate the age of the offender(s), 1993-2003.

Crime Index

While only about a third of all crime is reported, the Crime Index is the most commonly used measure of crime and is a consistent sample that allows for national comparisons.  In June 2004, the CJIS APB approved discontinuing the use of the Crime Index in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and its publications and directed the FBI to publish a violent crime total and a property crime total until a more viable index is developed. The Crime Index was first published in Crime in the United States in 1960.  Changes were made in the 1970’s and the Modified Crime Index was the number of Crime Index offenses plus arson.  The Crime Index and Modified Crime Index were driven upward by the offense with the highest number.  Currently, larceny-theft makes up 59.4% of reported crime, and thus the sheer volume of those offenses overshadow more serious but less frequently committed offenses. The consensus of many groups studying these measures was that the Crime Index and Modified Crime Index no longer served their original purpose, that the UCR Program should suspend their use, and that a more robust index should be developed.  FBI Crime Index

Which specific crimes are reported to the UCR Program, and why were these crimes identified for reporting?  The UCR Program collects offense information for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. These are Part I offenses and are serious crimes by nature and/or volume.  Not all crimes, such as embezzlement, are readily brought to the attention of the police.  Also, some serious crimes, such as kidnapping, occur infrequently. Therefore, the UCR Program limits the reporting of offenses known to the eight selected crime classifications because they are the crimes most likely to be reported and most likely to occur with sufficient frequency to provide an adequate basis for comparison.  FBI Unified Crime Reporting

perception of fire safety

Due to community interest, TMT added a new survey question to begin tracking how safe people feel in relation to fire danger in the community.  Over 6 million acres have burned in Nevada since 2000, and as development moves into open areas with brush and other native vegetation, more houses will be threatened each year from burning embers.

To learn more about reducing the threat from wildfires, visit: http://www.livingwithfire.info and http://www.nvfsc.org

perception of physical safety

Washoe County’s 2007, Environmental Scan: Community Assessment reported a similar survey question from Washoe County Sheriff and Reno Police Department surveys. When asked if Washoe County was more safe, about the same, or less safe, 42% responded that it was less safe in 2006, almost twice the 21% from the last survey in 2002, after having gone down several years in a row. 

However, according to a 2007 City of Reno, Citizen Survey Regarding Growth, only 5% of Reno citizens thought crime/safety should be the number one priority in addressing community growth issues.  While, according to a 2006 City of Sparks, Public Attitude Survey, 67% of Sparks citizens reported feeling safe from violent crime, 48% safe from property crime, and 74% safe from fire; 89% safe in their neighborhood during the day, 76% after dark, and 74% safe in Sparks during the day. 

Draft results from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicate that 15.8% of Washoe County students reported that they never, rarely or only sometimes feel safe and secure in their neighborhood, compared to 14.2% of Nevada students.

TMT has tracked feeling of safety in the community for more than a decade.  [Average fire, police and ambulance response times reflect quality emergency services in the community, however this data is not readily available and is mostly a question of staffing levels, as well as the number of responders.]