AUSTIN, Texas — Does Austin have one of the most violent areas in Texas? Some believe this is the case, but do available statistics verify this idea?
A recent shooting caught on video has caused some in Austin to worry the downtown area is a symbol of chronic crime. The Austin Police Association posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday, asking if Sixth Street is one of the most violent places in Texas.
The Austin Police Department has a search application on its website showing where certain crimes have happened this year. That information is also on CrimeReports, which gets its data from police agencies and departments.
This application allows you to look at data going back six months. During that time, there have been 58 violent crimes on the block near The ARCH, which is Austin's homeless shelter near Sixth Street. For Austin as a whole, there have been 3,313 violent crimes.
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What about the three Texas cities comparable to Austin – Houston, San Antonio and Dallas? Houston shows similar numbers in the past six months, with 2,653 violent crimes. None of Houston's main homeless shelters come close to reaching the number of violent crimes reported near Austin's ARCH in the past six months.
When you look at San Antonio, the map shows no violent crimes in this time frame. Dallas has only one violent crime. That shows there is a lack of participation from Dallas and San Antonio police. It's hard to know how Austin's violence compares currently, using the device on APD's website.
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