Hagerstown, is a city in northwest Maryland, with a population of around 40,000 people. Like any big populous city, Hagerstown has some reasonably safe sections and other places with significant criminal activity. As promised in the last parts, in this blog post we will examine easily accessible crime data and other numerical indicators to ascertain the degree of accuracy of the public perspective of Hagerstown's safety degree.
Crime Statistics
Based on the data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report in 2021, Hagerstown experienced 1,253 violent crimes and 3,646 property crimes. That is equivalent to 920.6 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants and 2,685.8 property crimes per 100000 inhabitants.
How does the rate differ from other cities? Hagerstown’s violent crime rate is higher than the mean of the United States violent crime rate of 378 per 100000 persons. but it has a higher per capita rate of property crime that is almost similar to the national average in the United States. It is important to note that Hagerstown is among Maryland cities with relatively high crime rates when compared to others. For instance, Baltimore is almost twice as high as we are in crime rate per capita.
Neighborhood Safety
As it is with most cities and towns, there are better and more secure neighborhoods than there are high-crime regions in Hagerstown. NeighborhoodScout, a website that provides crime rate analysis, states that most areas in Hagerstown receive scores ranging from 4-7 out of 10, on a scale that measures safety, with 10 being the safest.
Some of the crimes are; These areas some of the lowest crime areas are situated in the north of Wilson Boulevard in the northwest region of the city. Out of the two facilities, Hickory School and Potter Heights, both have impressive safety scores ranging from 8 to 10.
On the other hand, places such as Jonathan Street Park Circle, and Fairgrounds record high incidences of crime in the area. These areas range from being safe with a safety score of 1 to being relatively safe with a score of 3. The crime rate in Hagerstown itself is also moderate and not as high compared to the safest neighborhoods either.
Other Safety Factors
It is, therefore, warranted that crime statistics provide only an incomplete picture when assessing the safety status. Other aspects that affect the perceived security of a city include the gang activities in the city, the luminosity of the areas at night, and how involved the public is in safety matters.
Thus, it is also possible to state that gang violence does not seem to be so significant in Hagerstown, unlike in large cities. The incidences of gangland criminality and violent offenses rose in the city between the years 2013 and 2015. More policing and investigation measures were adopted and took their toll in reducing and controlling gang issues to some extent after those years.
The illumination of some city streets and other areas that are open to the public at night is inadequate, meaning that some areas are less secure during the night. For instance, Hagerstown has focused on enhancing lighting in downtown as well as in areas with high crime rates with the motive of enhancing the perception of the place and security. This way, going on with the practice of lighting up less illuminated regions may help minimize possible incidents even further.
Assessing Personal Safety
While crime figures are useful in gathering information on crime levels – situation factors ought to be considered especially for matters of personal safety. A person dwelling in what you refer to as a ‘Safe’ neighborhood is not safe if they are careless with their lives. So, the prevention of crime significantly minimizes the chances of getting attacked, even if areas are less secure.
In places with more criminal activities extra precautions such as more locks, security, having protective dogs, and also pepper spray or alarms are warranted. Further measures include refraining from walking alone in the dark, not carrying valuables in conspicuous places, and being observant too. Personal responsibility when choosing where to embark on specific activities plays a better role in safety than just geographical position.
The Bottom Line
While violent crime is much higher in Hagerstown compared to the national average, its property crime rates are only marginally above average. Nevertheless, the gang problem does not seem as severe as in other cities. Needless to say, the subjects reported varied to a reasonable extent from the more secure areas of the city to the other, more problematic ones. By making the correct decision on personal security most normal people can safely live in or tour Hagerstown within developed regions of the city during daylight hours without developing serious security issues.
