Crime Statistics

Crime Statistics in the Heights, Houston, Texas

This website is dedicated to crime statistics
in the Heights neighborhood, in Houston, Texas.

Basic Data

The basic data was gathered from the Houston Police Department website, using data for Beat 2A30, which as can be seen on the map below, reasonably approximates the neighborhood.

Data from the US census was also incorporated, to allow for adjusting the statistics from simply totals to rates, also accounting for population changes. These corrections are only approximate, as the census and zip code overlap but do not match the Beat boundary.

Relevant boundaries for the study

There are three maps in this figure. The underlying map with the orange polygons and red numbers is the census tract map. In pink are the approximate boundaries of zip code 77008. Finally, in green, is beat 2A30, the source of the crime data for this study.

Summary plot

This plot shows what sort of data is available. Each incident (from 2010 to 2017) has a time and date, Offense type, premise (home, business, etc.), and an approximate address. Much time was spent gathering and cleaning up the raw data, as it had a host of problems. That data is available for those who wish to do their own analysis.

Learn about the data files

Analysis

I have made many plots and charts to try to glean some understanding from the data. My primary too has been the open source statistical package, "R". The new packages from RStudio have been particularly useful, and I highly recommend them.

See the analysis

I have also developed a set of maps, to highlight the spatial distribution of crime in the area.

See the maps

Robbery—The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
Aggravated assault—An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. Simple assaults are excluded.
Burglary (breaking or entering)—The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. Attempted forcible entry is included.
Larceny-theft (except motor vehicle theft)—The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Examples are thefts of bicycles, motor vehicle parts and accessories, shoplifting, pocketpicking, or the stealing of any property or article that is not taken by force and violence or by fraud. Attempted larcenies are included. Embezzlement, confidence games, forgery, check fraud, etc., are excluded.
Motor vehicle theft—The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle is self-propelled and runs on land surface and not on rails. Motorboats, construction equipment, airplanes, and farming equipment are specifically excluded from this category.

Glossary

For clarity, the definitions are drawn from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting website.

About the author

Alan Jackson is a retired geophysicist, with time to learn some new skills and do stuff that may benefit the neighborhood.

Contact

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