It is important for users of crime statistics data on the Houston Police Department web site to understand that the primary objective is to generate a reliable set of crime statistics for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management. HPD does not provide this data as a method of determining if one police beat or area of the city is safer or more dangerous than any other beat or area. Police beats and districts vary in size, population, and density, making such comparisons difficult.
The public may rely on this data for information on the fluctuation in the level and types of crime from year to year; and, criminologists, sociologists, legislators, city planners, and other students of criminal justice may use them in conjuction with other data for a variety of research and planning purposes.
Since crime is a sociological phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, HPD discourages data users from performing comparative analysis betweens beats, districts, or any other division of the city based solely on the information provided here. This web site does not provide a comparative analysis.
