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May 9, 2000
Your zip code says a lot about where you live, and now those five numbers are telling even more about your neighborhood.
By plugging your zip code into a website, you can see just how dangerous the area is around your home. Or can you? Salt Lake City Police say the numbers don't necessarily reflect reality.
Capt. Scott Atkinson/Salt Lake City Police: "I GUESS I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. IT DOESN'T REFLECT THE SAME DEMOGRAPHIC THAT OURS DOES."
The creators of the new web site say they've gathered detailed data that rates the safety of where you live on a scale from one to ten. But local police say the makers have never approached them for statistics.
Capt. Scott Atkinson/Salt Lake City Police: "WE'VE NEVER RECEIVED A CALL FROM ANYONE THAT SAID CAN WE HAVE YOUR NUMBERS? SO IF THEY'RE BASING THOSE ON POLICE REPORTS OR NUMBERS FROM SALT LAKE CITY--THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE."
The creators claim they use surveys of unreported crime as well as other statistics that may determine the safety of a neighborhood.
Here's how the ratings work:
- 1 to 3 is low risk.
- 4 to 6--moderate risk.
- 7 to 8 is moderately high.
If you live in an area that ranks a 9 or 10, you are at a high risk of being a victim of crime.
We picked a few neighborhoods around the valley to see how they stack up. According to the website:
- Capitol Hill and the Avenues rank 4.
- South Salt Lake 5.
- West Valley is a 3.
- Sandy is at low risk with a 1 rating.
- Glendale is the highest rating with a 6.
- Sugarhouse ranks a 2.
But Salt Lake City police say the internet numbers don't reflect a growing crime rate in places like Sugarhouse. Police say that area is more like a 6. And the chance of being a victim of crime in the Avenues, they say, is closer to a 2 or 3.
But on a national scale, police say the numbers may be pretty close to accurate.
Captn. Atkinson: "IF WE'RE COMPARING OURSELVES TO A LOS ANGELES OR A NEW YORK I'M THINKING WE'RE MORE LIKE A THREE."
