Just how bad is the crime in Fremont if at all?

Fremont isn't a small-town, but there also doesn't seem to be a big-town crime indicator nor the fear that comes with. How safe are our streets? How safe are our streets in comparison to cities around us? We try to answer those questions here and also provide context behind the crime in Fremont.

Illustration by Erik Shen

By Benjamin Qiao and Pragnha Palaparthy

Edited: Naomi Lin and Faith Qiao

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Introduction

Even though crimes are reported in the news everyday, many people never hear anything about them from their peers. How actually safe is the city? How Dangerous is Fremont Compared to Other Cities?

Compared to other near suburban cities in 2019, Fremont had a relatively low crime rate of 2,050.8 per 100,000 people. Milpitas, Pleasanton, and Newark had a crime rate of 2789.5, 2080.5, and 3044.2 per 100,000 people respectively. Milpitas and Newark are relatively close to Fremont, but have very different statistics, indicating that their administrative policies are primarily responsible for the difference.

Unfortunately, the crime rate in most cities have increased dramatically in 2020, with Fremont’s crime rate increasing to 26.73 per 1,000 people during the pandemic. Currently, it is not clear why crime rose so much, but experts, such as law enforcement officials and researchers.

Crimes could range in a variety; for example, the crime could be prostitution, trespassing, simple assault to homicides, robbery, or sexual assault. Other than vehicle-related crimes, theft is the most common crime in Fremont. This includes robbery, theft that involves violence or threats, and larceny, which is considered the theft of personal property (Merriam-Webster).

The annual crime rate in Fremont, according to NeighborhoodScout, is 439 violent cases and 5,896 property cases, which is about 6,335 yearly cases. Furthermore, It is essential for the city’s citizens to understand and learn about these definitions to develop a proper role in Fremont and flourish this city.

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Causes of Crimes in Fremont

There are various reasons why a person would commit a crime. Looking at the overview, a study by City of Fremont Official Website shows us that homelessness creates a significant impact on our city and is a prominent cause for crimes. In 2022, the World Population Review revealed: “the average household income in Fremont is $160,528 with a poverty rate of 4.29%.” Even though the average poverty rate in Fremont is relatively low, the income expectations are very high; buying a simple home in Fremont can cost more than $931,600. This makes it much harder for a Fremont citizen to maintain decent living conditions. With housing prices being remarkably high, poverty and homelessness are inevitable results. A drastic increase in the poverty rate from 2016 to 2017 in a graph shown by 4.9% Poverty Rate in Fremont, California, indicates that the poverty rate would substantially increase over the next few years.

Because of Fremont’s expensive costs, people suffering from poverty resort to crime to survive, rising crime rates. This is in combination with the fact that in April 2021, sales tax increased which again disproportionately impacts these already impoverished individuals.

Job demand grows as population increases contributing to the adverse cycle of unemployment and homelessness. Compared to other nearby cities such as Union City and Milpitas, Fremont’s poverty rate is relatively close. With union city having a percentage of 4.97 and Milpitas having a rate of 6.77%. Currently, Fremont has a more improved population to poverty rate.