No grade for Bala, but its recorded crime is here
The nearest town with a Safety Grade is Clay Center, 11 miles away, graded C+. Bala has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Riley County. The Riley County Police Department reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Bala alone, and no Safety Grade. Widen the search to 25 miles and 2 graded towns turn up.
What stands out about safety in Bala
Policed by the county
Bala is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Riley County Police Department’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Riley County Police Department covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Bala. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Kansas towns with their own police figures are Clay Center (C+, 11 mi), Junction City (D, 20 mi), Abilene (C+, 31 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Bala. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Riley County Police Department reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Riley County without police of their own, which include Bala.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Riley County Police Department
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest Kansas towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Center | C+ | 11 mi | 2.4 | 12.6 |
| Junction City | D | 20 mi | 7.1 | 24.0 |
| Abilene | C+ | 31 mi | 2.6 | 12.3 |
| Marysville | C+ | 40 mi | 3.5 | 10.1 |
| Concordia | C+ | 41 mi | 2.7 | 10.7 |
| Salina | D | 50 mi | 4.9 | 25.4 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Bala. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Bala.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Bala and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Bala
Is Bala, KS safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Bala. The nearest Kansas towns with a grade are Clay Center (C+, 11 mi), Junction City (D, 20 mi), Abilene (C+, 31 mi).
Who polices Bala?
The Riley County Police Department. Bala is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Riley County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Bala.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.