My safety bubble was burst several years ago when a Detective rang my doorbell to notify me a level 3 sex offender was about to be paroled from prison and would be living right outside my neighborhood. My emotions ran the gamut from righteous indignation (how dare they let him move here) to fear for the safety of my children who were still in grade school at the time.

He moved in and went about living his life quietly. In fact, had I not been previously informed, I'd have never known someone new had moved into this property. I had pretty much forgotten about him until this summer when the news reported an aborted abduction of a woman in the parking lot of Costco. I couldn't believe it when I heard the suspect's name and realized this was the small, quiet, unassuming man whose house I had driven by for years!

Maple Valley is a small town. City population is about 20,000 give or take a few. The Sheriff's office reports 7 assaults for all of last year. It's no Mayberry, but I think it's a pretty safe place to live and raise a family.

However, as I learned, there's no such thing as a completely sterile environment. Buyers today need to be diligent in their research prior to making a purchase in an unfamiliar area. Fortunately, the internet has made it the internet has made it much easier for buyers relocating to a new area to research the surrounding safety of a property.  

    • In King County, Level II and Level III sex offenders are listed by City and general address. I believe Level One offenders can be identified but only by visiting a local precinct and making the request in person.
    • King County also offers a mapping program which will flag properties which have been identified as drug manufacturing sites (meth labs).
    • Local Sheriff or Police stations will provide a summary of crime statistics, if not online, the information is usually available for pick-up

And the #1 source for local information I recommend? Neighbors....a great resource one which is probably the most under-utilized. Stop by the neighborhood on a weekend and talk to the neighbors to find out if there are any skeletons buried nearby.

(Skeletons?....I meant that figuratively!)