ADT Maple Grove, Minnesota

Considering the Crime Rate in Maple Grove – Does It Warrant an Alarm System?

Maple Grove was rated the best city to live in Minnesota, the 4th safest city for families with young children, America’s most playful city and the best US city for seniors. It’s close to the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, meaning there’s no shortage of nearby places to work or things to do. It has a lower than average unemployment rate and a shorter than average commuting time. It has a good school system as well. The main drawbacks are that it also has very cold winters and a high cost of living. Although the crime rate isn’t particularly high, there is still crime and a security system could still be a beneficial addition to any home.

Overall Crime

The overall crime rate in the city is 44 percent below the average for the U.S., making the city safer than about 75 percent of cities in the country. Crime decreased 11 percent from 2014 to 2015, but residents of Maple Grove still have a 1 in 63 chance of becoming the victim of some type of crime in any given year. There are about 16.39 crimes per 1,000 residents each year. Perhaps most surprising of all for a relatively big city is that the crimes per square mile in Maple Grove are equal to the national average of 32. Usually, the higher population concentration in larger cities pushes this number up above the national average.

Violent Crime

There’s a reason why Maple Grove is often ranked as a particularly good place to live. The violent crime rate is extremely low. There are only 0.61 violent crimes per 1,000 residents each year, which is much lower than the national average of 3.8. This puts the risk of becoming a victim of some type of violent crime at just 1 in 1,628. In many years, there aren’t any murders at all, and the rape, robbery and assault rates are all significantly lower than the national average.

Property Crime

The property crime levels are also lower than the national average at 15.78 per 1,000 residents compared to 24.9 per 1,000 residents in the U.S. overall. This means there’s a 1 in 63 chance of a resident of the city becoming a victim of some type of property crime, most likely theft, in any given year. There are just 1.1 burglaries per 1,000 residents each year. This is less than a quarter of the national average of 4.91. In 2015, there were just 66 residential burglaries in the city and the burglary rate has been steadily decreasing in the last four years. Burglars account for about 10 percent of crime in Maple Grove, second only to thefts, which account for about 86 percent of the crimes committed in the city. Installing an alarm system can decrease the risk that your home will be targeted for burglary, as about 60 percent of burglars noted in one study that they avoid any home that has a security system, preferring instead to stick to those homes that are easier targets. Make sure to secure the home before you leave, locking all doors and windows, as almost one-third of burglaries occur in homes that don’t take this simple step.

Safest Areas to Live

Not surprisingly, the safest neighborhoods in Maple Grove also tend to be the most popular. Consider Bass Lake Road/West Fish Lake Road, City Center, 109th Avenue North/Nathan Lane North and Route 101/Territorial Road when looking for a home. Just keep in mind that the prices in these neighborhoods might be a bit higher than in some others because of their higher safety and popularity ratings. One way to get an even lower crime rate is to move to a smaller town nearby, since larger cities tend to have higher crime rates. Some cities near Maple Grove with lower crime rates per 1,000 people include Osseo, Arden Hills, Tonka Bay and Greenfield. Avoid Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Crystal and New Hope, which all have higher crime rates.

Police Response

There are 78 law enforcement employees in Maple Grove, so the city has a ratio of 1.2 police officers per 1,000 residents. This is significantly lower than the national average of 3.3, but the smaller police force may be merited given the low crime rate in the city. The police have an overall crime clearance rate of 24 percent, which is a little below the national average of 28 percent, and a burglary clearance rate of 11 percent, which is just below the national average of 12 percent. However, they have a higher than average clearance rate for assaults, rapes, larceny and auto theft. Having a security system that takes videos whenever the alarm goes off can make it more likely that if a burglary does occur, the police will be able to catch the culprit.

Other Potential Alarm Benefits

Although the crime rate and the property crime rate are both low in Maple Grove, there can be other benefits to installing a security system. First, it usually qualifies you for a discount of anywhere up to 20 percent on your home insurance rates. It can be set up to notify the authorities of other problems in the home besides burglaries, including high carbon monoxide levels, fires or medical emergencies, making it more likely that help will arrive quickly even if the homeowner isn’t there when the emergency occurs. A system that includes video cameras can also make it possible to check in on children home alone or the babysitter to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.