Williamson County tops the list for lowest crime rate per 100,000 head at just 1862. Does anyone have the figures over the last decade to look at it for trends?

JAS

I'd be interested in seeing that list. Is it on the web?

Despite having the county with the lowest crime rate in Texas, Williamson County DA continues to insist on harsh, punitive sentences for low-level and non-violent offenders.....

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Originally posted by jsboone:
Despite having the county with the lowest crime rate in Texas, Williamson County DA continues to insist on harsh, punitive sentences for low-level and non-violent offenders.....

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Uh, perhaps you're missing the whole cause/effect dynamic in this case. If I may rephrase:

The Williamson County DA insists on harsh, punitive sentences for low-level and non-violent offenders, which contributes to his having the county with the lowest crime rate in Texas.

After all, economists will tell you that the higher the price, the fewer people are willing to pay it. Since fewer people are committing crimes in Williamson County, then fewer people are being sentenced for crimes. Therefore, Williamson County is actually sentencing far fewer people than most counties are. Q.E.D., the DA is actually keeping people out of jail.

I think he was making a facetious remark.

Shoulda put in the old "wink" symbol.

Denton and Fort Bend Counties, with nearly twice the population of WC, should receive high praise. It gets harder and harder to maintain a low crime rate as population in urban centers gets really big.

Where is that list from? Does it show all two hundred-something Texas counties?

The information is derived from Texas DPS crime records, as provided in Crime in Texas 2006. DPS publishes index crime statistics each year and publishes the information in a book that goes out to many agencies. The book provides definitions of the uniform crime reporting requirements and the meanings that can be attributed to them.