Whether you’re moving to a new town, opening a new business location, or curious about how safe a neighborhood is, the internet has become an invaluable resource. You can quickly learn about crime and security with just a few simple clicks. Today, many apps are free, feature anecdotal testimonies, and provide quick stats about neighborhood safety. Curious about how safe is your neighborhood? Here are six tools to help you find out!
1 The Neighbors App
The Neighbors App is powered by Ring—the increasingly popular home security system known for its doorbell cameras that sync up to users’ smartphones. While Ring is its parent company, you don’t need Ring products to use this free app, making it somewhat accessible to the masses. The Neighbors App allows people in a given area to submit reports about suspicious or illegal activity. It also features reports from local law enforcement to make them publicly available to keep neighbors in the know. Notably, information can also be submitted anonymously, allowing for constructive and open communication between community members.
2 AreaVibes
AreaVibes lets users find the most optimal places to live based on the criteria you set in the search. The moment you enter a town into the system, you’ll see its “livability” score, from 0 to 100. Users can also sort locations by specific settings, including crime, education, amenities, and more. A great app to have when scouting for homes — plus, it’s free! If you are looking to move to a new town, AreaVibes is a helpful app to have on hand.
3 Citizen
Citizen is a personal safety network that sends its users location-based safety alerts in real-time. Unlike other apps that provide stats on a given area, Citizen monitors 911 communications. Users receive push notifications about shootings, fires, or other dangerous disturbances in the area nearest you based on your current location. Citizen is free to download and is used most often in urban areas. The app is available in 20 major cities in the United States, from New York City to the San Francisco Bay Area.
4 NeighborhoodScout
NeighborhoodScout is somewhat similar to AreaVibes but is much more crime-focused. The app shows the overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate for each searched location. NeighborhoodScout is free, but payment is required to unlock more detailed reports and analytics based on your needs.
5 SpotCrime
The name says it all: SpotCrime spots crime. To be more specific, the free app maps and locates crime via alerts from social media platforms, email, and other online channels. Neighbor tips and police reports also factor in. Icons pop up to show users what kind of crime occurred and where. SpotCrime also provides the current status of said report.
6 Family Watchdog
A must-have for families, this free app shares the addresses of registered sex offenders in your neighborhood or area. Family Watchdog is free, but like some other apps, it does have a paywall for more specific information on the registered criminals.
Curious about how to keep your home safe? Get in touch to learn more today! The Security Professionals are masters of equipping your home with the latest technology needed to give you peace of mind and ward off intruders.
