| St. Cloud is the 10th largest city in Minnesota, and the metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in the state. It still has a small town atmosphere and a relatively low cost of living, making it somewhat popular as a place to live. Although the metro area was ranked the 10th safest in the midwest, there is still a significant amount of crime in the area. Understanding the overall crime rate and the burglary rate can make it clearer whether a home security system is worth the expense in your area. Overall Crime Rate Larger cities, in general, tend to have higher crime rates. St. Cloud is no exception, as it has a crime rate that is 84 percent higher than the average in the U.S. and is considered safer than just 19 percent of the cities in the United States, with about 52.23 crimes per 1,000 residents each year. Nationally, there are about 32 crimes per square mile each year, but the St. Cloud average is much higher at 85 crimes per square mile. The overall average for MN is only 21 crimes per square mile. Residents have a 1 in 19 chance of becoming the victim of some sort of crime in any given year. Violent Crime Rate The violent crime rate in the city is just below that of the national average of 3.8 per 1,000 people at 3.68 per 1,000 people. This is higher than the MN average of just 2.43 per 1,000 people, however. The robbery rate is below the national average, as is the rate for assaults, but the number of rapes per 1,000 residents is more than twice the national average. Remembering to secure all doors and windows, having an alarm system and remembering to arm the system limits the risk that someone will be likely to get into the home and be able to commit a rape without getting caught, so it is a good precaution to take given the higher than average rates of this crime. Although residents are home during only 27.6 percent of all residential burglaries, in 26 percent of these burglaries the people at home become victims of violent crimes. Households containing only women and children tend to be the most likely to be burglarized while someone is home. Property Crime Rate The property crime rate in St. Cloud is about twice the national average of 24.9 per 1,000 residents at 48.55 property crimes per year per 1,000 residents, with residents having a 1 in 21 chance of becoming a property crime victim. Of these crimes, most are thefts. There are 5.95 burglaries per 1,000 people each year, which is still higher than the national average of 4.91 per 1,000 people. Burglaries make up about 14 percent of all the crimes committed in St. Cloud each year. Getting a good security system can be the best defense against this type of crime, as 60 percent of burglars admit that they tend to avoid homes with security systems in favor of easier targets. This includes the many homes where people forget to lock all of the doors and windows when they leave, as 30 percent of burglaries involve homes that aren’t properly secured. Get a monitored security system and put up those signs and stickers to make it clear that people approaching your home know that it is protected by an alarm. It won’t deter all burglars and will only be effective when you actually remember to arm it, but it’s a good way to lower burglary risk. Homes without alarms are three times more likely to be robbed than those with alarms. Safest Areas to Live Within the city, some areas tend to be a little safer than others. The least risky areas include Roosevelt Road/33rd Street South, Saukview Drive/Ridgewood Road, 9th Avenue South/Clearwater Road and County Road 8/15th Avenue Southeast. This doesn’t mean that these are the only good areas to live in. For example, the area including the city center and Saint Cloud State University is also among the 10 safest neighborhoods in the city. People who want to live close to St. Cloud but would prefer to live in a city with a lower crime rate have a number of cities to choose from. Good examples include St. Joseph, Becker, Sartell and Albany. Avoid Waite Park, however, as the crime rate there is actually much higher than that in St. Cloud. Police Presence One thing to take into consideration is the level of police presence in the city. There are 121 police officers in St. Cloud, so there are 1.8 police officers for each 1,000 residents. This is equal to the average overall in Minnesota but lower than the national average of 3.3 police officers per 1,000 residents. The more officers there are, the faster the potential response time to a crime, such as a burglary. Police can’t respond to a burglary until they’re notified of the fact, which is where a monitored alarm system is helpful. However, because of the very high prevalence of false alarms, it’s a good idea to get an alarm system that records a video of whatever was happening when the alarm went off. This way any burglary can be verified, putting the call closer to the top of the list. Otherwise, alarms from home security systems tend to be low on the priority list, making it less likely an officer will arrive before the burglar has left the building. |
