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Violent Crime Trends in Westlake, Ohio: A Suburban Community's Safety Profile
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Loading Content...
Crime
Violent Crime
Median Rent
Racial Distributions
Population
Westlake, Ohio, presents an intriguing case study in violent crime trends. From 2014 to 2022, the total number of violent crimes in the city remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 12 and 16 incidents annually. This represents a slight increase of 16.67% over the period. Concurrently, the population grew from 32,548 in 2014 to 34,027 in 2022, a 4.54% increase, suggesting that crime rates have risen slightly faster than population growth.
The murder rate in Westlake has remained consistently at zero from 2014 to 2022, with no reported cases throughout this period. This statistic is particularly noteworthy given the population growth, indicating that the city has maintained a very low homicide risk despite demographic changes. The percentage of state murders attributed to Westlake has consequently remained at 0% throughout the observed years.
Rape incidents have fluctuated over the years, with data available from 2015 onwards. In 2015, there was 1 reported case (0.03 per 1,000 people), which increased to 2 cases in 2022 (0.06 per 1,000 people). This represents a 100% increase in raw numbers and a 91.30% increase when adjusted for population. The city's contribution to state rape statistics rose from 0.04% in 2015 to 0.05% in 2022, indicating a slight increase in the city's share of such crimes relative to the state.
Robbery trends show a general decline. In 2014, there were 2 robberies (0.06 per 1,000 people), which peaked at 9 in 2017 (0.28 per 1,000 people) before decreasing to 2 again in 2022 (0.06 per 1,000 people). This represents no change in raw numbers from 2014 to 2022, but a slight decrease when adjusted for population growth. The city's percentage of state robberies fluctuated, peaking at 0.1% in 2015 and 2017, before dropping to 0.04% in 2022, suggesting an improving situation relative to state trends.
Aggravated assault cases have shown variability. In 2014, there were 10 cases (0.31 per 1,000 people), which decreased to 3 in 2017 (0.09 per 1,000 people), before rising back to 10 in 2022 (0.29 per 1,000 people). This represents no change in raw numbers from 2014 to 2022, but a slight decrease when adjusted for population growth. The city's contribution to state aggravated assault statistics decreased from 0.09% in 2014 to 0.06% in 2022, indicating a relative improvement compared to state trends.
Examining correlations, there appears to be a weak positive relationship between population density and violent crime rates. As the population density increased from 2,042 per square mile in 2014 to 2,135 in 2022, violent crime incidents showed a slight upward trend. However, the relationship is not strong enough to draw definitive conclusions.
Applying predictive models based on the available data, we can forecast that by 2029 (five years from now), Westlake may experience a slight increase in violent crimes, potentially reaching 16-18 incidents annually. This projection assumes a continuation of current trends and stable demographic patterns.
In summary, Westlake has maintained relatively low and stable violent crime rates despite population growth. The most significant changes have been in rape and robbery incidents, with rape showing an increase and robbery demonstrating fluctuations before returning to previous levels. The city's contribution to state crime statistics has generally decreased or remained stable across most categories, suggesting that Westlake is maintaining or improving its safety relative to the rest of Ohio. These trends indicate that while the city faces some challenges in specific areas of violent crime, it has managed to keep overall rates low in the context of its growing population.
