ADT Rowlett, Texas

Crime Rate and Security System Considerations in Rowlett, TX

Rowlett is a part of the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area. While it has a lower than average unemployment rate, the cost of living and commute times are higher than average. Although the overall crime rate in the city is relatively low, it has been increasing, so it may be a good idea to consider investing in some type of home security system.

Overall Crime Rate

The overall crime rate in the city is about 42 percent lower than the U.S. average. However, it increased by about 12 percent between 2014 and 2015. It’s still safer than about 58 percent of other cities in the country, with residents having a 1 in 60 risk of becoming a victim of some type of crime in any given year. There are about 14.56 crimes per 1,000 residents each year or about 50 crimes per square mile. This is higher than the national average of 32, but part of the difference is due to the higher population concentration in the city compared to that of the country overall.

Violent Crime Rate

There are approximately 1.88 violent crimes per 1,000 residents each year, which is about half of the national average of 3.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents. About 6 percent of all crimes in Rowlett are Assaults. Although there are fewer rapes than assaults, the rape rate is higher than the national average. Overall, a resident of Rowlett has a 1 in 533 chance of becoming the victim of some type of violent crime in any given year.

Property Crime Rate

As is typical in most cities, most of the crimes committed in the city are property crimes. About 71 percent of crimes are thefts, 15 percent are burglaries and 6 percent are auto thefts. There are 14.56 property crimes per 1,000 residents each year, which is quite a bit lower than the national average of 24.9 crimes per 1,000 residents. Residents have a 1 in 69 risk of becoming the victim of some type of property crime in any given year, which is a lot less than the average of 1 in 35 in Texas in general. If you want to decrease the risk that you’ll be one of the unlucky victims of a burglary, consider getting a monitored alarm system, as this reduces risk by about 33 percent. Other beneficial steps include making sure to lock all windows and doors whenever you leave the house, installing motion-activated lights by all doors and getting a dog.

Safest Areas

While there isn’t as much of a difference between the crime rates of different neighborhoods in Rowlett as there is in some other cities, it’s safest to live in the neighborhoods of Miller Road/Rowlett Road and Liberty Grove and the City Center is the least safe neighborhood. Sometimes the best way to decrease the risk of becoming a victim of a crime is simply to move to a different city with a lower crime rate. Nearby cities that have less than half of the crime of Rowlett include McLendon-Chisholm, St. Paul, Murphy, Lavon and Heath. Avoid moving to Dallas, Mesquite, Garland or Rockwall, all of which have much higher crime rates.

Police Presence

There are about 105 law enforcement employees in the city. This means there’s a ratio of 1.8 officers per 1,000 residents, which is a lot lower than the Texas average of 3 officers per 1,000 residents and the national average of 3.3 officers per 1,000 residents. Although a low crime rate can justify having a smaller police force, in some cases a small police force results in lower case clearance rates and longer police response times. The Rowlett police department has an overall clearance rate of about 19 percent, which is lower than the national average of 28 percent, and their burglary clearance rate is just half of the national average of 12 percent at 6 percent. You can improve the chance of getting any burglary that occurs at your residence solved with the right security system. A video verified burglar alarm is given high priority by the police, unlike unverified alarms which are given the lowest priority because over 95 percent of them are typically false alarms.

Alarm Considerations

If you’d like to have an alarm system in Rowlett, you’ll need to register the alarm and get a permit that costs $35 each year. There are charges for false alarms. All robbery false alarms cost $100. False fire, medical assistance or burglar alarms incur fees after the 3rd false alarm, with the 4th and 5th false alarms costing $50 each, the 6th through 8th alarms costing $75 each and any subsequent false alarms costing $100 each. Don’t forget that alarm systems aren’t just good for preventing burglaries. They can also be connected to medical alert systems and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, increasing the chances of help arriving quickly should there be a problem in the home. Some people also set up alarm systems as part of a larger smart home project, which makes it so they can adjust the temperature of the home, turn the alarm system on or off, turn lights on or off and lock or unlock doors all with the touch of a button on their smartphones. These systems also allow people to monitor what’s going on inside their home through the security cameras even when they’re not there. This is helpful for people worried that their kids or their sitters are doing things that they shouldn’t be.