Sugar Land was recently named the second safest city in Texas and the 20th safest of its size in the country by CQ Press, but the numbers technically tell a different story.
According to the Sugar Land Police Department's 2012 Annual Report, the city saw an 8.6 percent increase in "Part 1 crimes," which include assault, auto theft, burglary, homicide, theft, robbery and auto burglary. Residential burglaries were especially up.
City spokesperson Doug Adolph tells KHOU that many of those were preventable, though: At least 16 percent of burglaries from 2012 — the year studied — can be attributed to residents leaving their doors unlocked.
Plus, the police department says, the numbers only look skewed because 2011 was so safe; in that year, the number of crimes dropped 25 percent to an all-time low. Still, Sugar Land is looking out for its residents.
"In 2013, one of our main focuses will be combating residential burglaries through increased officer presence in the neighborhoods, increased use of forensic specialists at burglary crime scenes and expanding our crime prevention and educational initiatives in the community," police chief Doug Brinkley said in a statement.
So rest assured and watch the full report from KHOU Channel 11 News below:
