Most crime that occurs in the Joplin area are "petty". The biggest crime problems in the area recently have been gas station drive-offs due to recent spikes in gas prices and convenience store robberies. Violent crime is quite rare, but it does occur on occasion. The rough side of town for Joplin is generally considered west of Main Street. Like most other places, most of the more serious crime happens in the middle of the night. Typical common sense will enable most anyone to avoid problems.
Red light running is a growing problem. Range Line Road is notorious for motorists running red lights, especially well after it has turned red for their direction. Motorists should exercice caution and not dart into intersections immediately when their light turns green.
