Loading Content...
Property Crime Decline in Freeport, Texas: Gulf Coast City Sees Significant Reduction
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Freeport, Texas, located along the Gulf Coast, presents an intriguing case study in property crime trends. From 2010 to 2022, the city experienced a significant decrease in total property crimes, dropping from 388 to 150 incidents, representing a 61.3% reduction. This decline occurred alongside a population decrease from 13,671 in 2010 to 12,855 in 2022, a 6% reduction.
Burglary rates in the city have shown a marked decline over the years. In 2010, there were 102 burglaries, which decreased to 26 in 2022, a 74.5% reduction. When adjusted for population, the burglary rate fell from 7.46 per 1,000 residents in 2010 to 2.02 per 1,000 in 2022. Interestingly, despite this substantial decrease, the city's share of state burglaries remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 0.03% and 0.09% over the period. This suggests that while the city improved its burglary situation, it maintained a consistent proportion of the state's overall burglary incidents.
Larceny theft trends mirror the overall property crime decline. The number of larceny thefts decreased from 266 in 2010 to 124 in 2022, a 53.4% reduction. The larceny theft rate per 1,000 residents fell from 19.46 in 2010 to 9.65 in 2022. The city's contribution to the state's larceny theft incidents remained relatively constant, ranging between 0.03% and 0.06% throughout the period. This indicates that the city's improvements in larceny theft prevention were somewhat in line with statewide trends.
Motor vehicle theft in the city has shown a dramatic reduction. From 20 incidents in 2010, it dropped to zero reported cases in 2021 and 2022. This represents a 100% decrease, with the rate per 1,000 residents falling from 1.46 in 2010 to 0 in 2022. The city's share of state motor vehicle thefts also decreased significantly, from 0.04% in 2010 to 0% in recent years. This remarkable improvement suggests highly effective strategies in combating motor vehicle theft within the city.
Arson incidents in the city have remained low but fluctuating. The number of arsons ranged from 0 to 3 per year, with 2 reported in 2010 and 1 in 2022. The arson rate per 1,000 residents remained below 0.25 throughout the period. Notably, the city's contribution to state arson incidents varied widely, from 0% in some years to as high as 0.13% in 2018. This volatility in percentage is likely due to the low number of incidents, where small changes can result in large percentage fluctuations.
Examining correlations reveals interesting patterns. The decline in property crimes coincides with a period of decreasing population density, which fell from 887 people per square mile in 2010 to 834 in 2022. There's also a notable correlation with changes in racial demographics. As the Hispanic population percentage increased from 50% in 2013 to 60% in 2017 before declining to 49% in 2022, property crimes showed a general downward trend. Conversely, as the white population percentage decreased from 39% in 2013 to 25% in 2017 before rising to 33% in 2022, property crimes also declined overall.
Applying predictive models to forecast property crime trends suggests a continuation of the overall declining trend. Based on the historical data, it's projected that by 2029 (five years from now), the total number of property crimes could decrease to approximately 100 incidents per year, assuming current trends and efforts continue.
In summary, Freeport has demonstrated significant improvements in property crime rates across all categories over the past decade. The most striking changes include the complete elimination of reported motor vehicle thefts and substantial reductions in burglaries and larceny thefts. These trends, occurring alongside demographic shifts and population changes, suggest effective crime prevention strategies and community changes that have positively impacted the city's safety profile.
