SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA—Current research shows that the largest city in California's North Coast has a crime rate considerably higher than the national average. To promote safety and awareness, the Law Office of Amy Chapman compiled a map detailing the city's high crime areas.

"This map is designed to help residents become better aware of their surroundings," stated Amy Chapman, an experienced criminal defense attorney and owner of the firm. "When a person is unfamiliar with the dangers of certain areas within the city, they run the risk of lowering their guard. This, in turn, can increase the chance for crimes of opportunity." Even though the number of homicides remained unchanged, other crimes increased in 2015. For example, there were 67 weapons violations versus 28 the year before. Aggravated assaults jumped to 177 in 2015 compared to 97 in 2014. Violations involving sexual assaults spiked to 100 versus 42 the previous year. DUIs remained the biggest violations committed in Santa Rosa for both years, with an increase in 2015. Already this year's DUI violations are on track to pass the previous year—with more than 500 DUI charges recorded in the first six months.

"Unfortunately, DUIs have been increasingly steadily since 2012 and show no signs of slowing down," stated Chapman. "DUIs can easily lead to violent crimes, injuries or even death. We very much need stiffer penalties and better programs geared toward keeping drunk drivers off the road." According to Chapman, while police continue to do their part to fight crime, it's impossible for them to wipe it out completely. Santa Rosa residents must also do their part to prevent it, she stated.

"It starts with awareness, being alert and using common sense," stressed Chapman. "Don't allow yourself to be a victim by giving criminals an easy opportunity to take advantage of you." To help prevent Santa Rosa crime, never leave valuables out in the open, keep your doors locked to your car or home, avoid parking in dark areas, avoid doing outside activities alone in the dark such as jogging, etc. To view other safety tips, crime statistics along with the firm's embeddable crime map, click here.