Explore the Data

Safety & Security > Overview

Safety & Security

Overview

People want to live in communities where they feel physically free from harm. Harm may occur through intentional victimization, as well as through accidents and health crises. For the first time since 2015, the number of violent crime victims in the U.S. has significantly decreased. The number of serious crime victims has also decreased since 2018.1

Lincoln has less crime than other similarly-sized communities. Persons living in Lincoln report feeling safe most or all of the time, traffic-crash injuries have been low for the past decade, and medical and fire services are effective. However, the percentage of children removed from their homes for their safety remains higher than nationwide. Lincoln has also seen an increase in the juvenile arrest rates for drug violations and property crimes when compared to the national rates.

 

Footnotes

1.  Morgan, R.E. & Truman, J.L. (September 2020). Criminal Victimization, 2019. Technical Report NCJ 255113. U.S. Department of Justice.
2.  Puzzanchera, C. (May 2021). Juvenile Arrests, 2019. National Report NCJ 256032. U.S. Department of Justice.
3.  Although juvenile arrest rates may largely reflect juvenile behavior, many other factors can affect the magnitude of these rates, such as the  attitudes of citizens toward crime, the policies of local law enforcement agencies, and the policies of other components of the justice system.
4.  Data for domestic violence offenses are not available for only the City of Lincoln, therefore Lancaster County data are used.
5.  All data is point-in-time. Lancaster County data 2006 through 2009 for December 20; 2011 and later for June 30. National data is for September 30 of each year.
6.  These figures exclude children who are removed from homes due to juvenile justice interventions.