Don't Be Scared of Sandalfoot

A reader moving into one of the neighborhoods near West Sandalfoot (aka the Sandalfoot Trailers or Watergate Estates) asked about the perceived crime problem. Here are some excerpts of our conversation, with reader in italics.
I really like the area from what I’ve seen but today a co-worker of mine has told me that there is a lot of crime close by in Sandalfoot. I did a search on Sandalfoot crime and I have read a few articles that you recently posted. Is it safe to move a family into the [omitted] community off of 441? I am starting to second guess my decision. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for asking. Sandalfoot would not discourage me from living nearby.
While there is higher crime in Sandalfoot, not much of it affects nearby communities. A lot of it is domestic violence (i.e. stays in Sandalfoot) and drug possession (again stays in Sandalfoot).
Our zip code (we also live in 33428) does have an overall higher crime rate than the rest of West Boca, but it’s still lower than at least one part of East Boca and much lower than the county average.
You might want to read our two articles about the crime rate here:
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/12/how-bad-is-crime-in-west-boca
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/21/9-zip-codes-crime-rates-in-boca-raton/4878
Being off 441 is convenient with a lot of restaurants and shopping nearby. My favorite plaza is right by Sandalfoot:
https://westbocanews.com/2013/12/28/northwest-sandalfoot-plaza
The elementary school is A-rated. I drive through Sandalfoot all the time. I’ve shopped at their Publix (and donated blood there), and I go to the plazas there including Sandalfoot Square. I’ve never had a bad moment there.
Thank you for the summary and the links that you sent over. I feel better about my decision to purchase. Hopefully Sandalfoot will eventually weed out all the wrong-doers over time.
One more question, is the bad area of Sandalfoot east or west of 441 or a little bit of both?
A little of both. West of 441 is a community called Watergate Estates, commonly referred to as the Sandalfoot trailer park. Also west of 441, but further south, is an apartment complex near SW 18th where we’ve seen some arrests as well.
East of 441 is a large area called Sandalfoot Cove (from Palmetto to the county line and from 441 to the Turnpike).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalfoot_Cove,_Florida

There’s variety within Sandalfoot Cove, with senior condos and one or two nice gated communities. There are also a bunch of apartments, townhouses and other lower end housing and we’ve seen some crime in there.
Of course, we’ve seen people arrested from the expensive communities all over Boca as well.
While there are some problems in Sandalfoot, a lot of those families move there so they can get their kids into our schools. That’s a good thing. It’s why we moved here too.
Palm Beach County has less crime than Broward or Miami-Dade. From our own statistics within Palm Beach County, Boca has less crime than most of the rest of the county, and West Boca has less crime than East Boca.