Which Houston-area theaters saw the most crime last year?

(5/07/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- It's a place where youngsters enjoying meeting up, but is the movie theater near your home a safe place to be? We put our Crime Tracker to work at movie theaters in our area to show you what police are dealing with.

As we head into summer and temperatures outside continue to soar, more and more families will be cooling off indoors at their neighborhood movie theater.

"You want to come with your kids and watch a movie, but you are scared something might happen to them," said parent Yessenia Olvera.

Those fears are not unfounded. During the summer months when the kids are out of school, theaters tend to be more crowded.

"I rarely go out at night because of that," said parent John Olvera. "Mostly go out during the day with my family. At night, I leave my son home. It's a lot safer."

We put our Crime Tracker to work to see what types of crimes occurred at Houston movie theaters last year. Among all the theaters we looked at, police investigated 131 reports of crime. The AMC Studio Three theaters at 2949 Dunvale had the most reported crimes with 20. None were violent, but of that number, seven were for possession of illegal drugs. Other crimes included an assault, criminal mischief and theft.

Tinseltown Westchase at 3300 West Sam Houston Parkway had the most reports of violent crimes, including one rape and five robberies. Non-violent crimes included theft, vandalism and disorderly conduct.

"My kids always stay close to me, and then when I'm going to my vehicle, I always have my keys readily available, so I don't have to look for it, things like that," said Jack Coachman.

Of the several movie theater companies we checked with, at least one -- the Edwards Marq*E stadium at I-10 and Silber -- has 24 hour security along with extra police at night and on the weekends. While parents with small children find comfort in the added security, some teenagers believe staying safe is a matter of personal responsibility.

"I guess I stay close to my friends or the friends of my parents," said teen Karen Lazcano.

"I stay away from people I don't know, strangers, I always stay with my friends," added teen Moses Lazcano.

A spokesperson with AMC theaters released this statement to us

"AMC is vigilant about maintaining a safe environment for our guests and associates. AMC's security department actively investigates conditions in our local markets and works to maintain close contact with local and national authorities."

Taking a look now at other movie theaters, the Grand Palace Stadium on Weslayan had six crimes. There were nine crimes at the Marq*E stadium 23 on Silber, and six crimes at Tinseltown on the Northwest Freeway.

We'll continue tracking crime at your neighborhood movie theaters and let you know as things change.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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