Indian River has no Safety Grade
Within 10 miles, Tuscarora Township is the one town with a Safety Grade. Indian River has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Cheboygan County. The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Indian River alone, and no Safety Grade. Out to 25 miles, the count of graded towns reaches 5.
What stands out about safety in Indian River
Policed by the county
Indian River is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Indian River. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Michigan towns with their own police figures are Tuscarora Township (B, 1 mi), Cheboygan (C, 17 mi), Petoskey (B+, 17 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Indian River. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Cheboygan County without police of their own, which include Indian River.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
Also reports crimes in Cheboygan County to the FBI.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office
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 Michigan towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscarora Township | B | 1 mi | 1.3 | 10.7 |
| Cheboygan | C | 17 mi | 3.1 | 13.7 |
| Petoskey | B+ | 17 mi | 1.4 | 5.1 |
| Harbor Springs | A− | 18 mi | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Boyne City | A− | 24 mi | 0.9 | 4.5 |
| Gaylord | D | 28 mi | 4.9 | 29.1 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Indian River. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Indian River.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Two people died in crashes on Indian River’s roads in 2019–2023
Indian River had 2 fatal crashes in five years, in which two people died. Most of these deaths (1 of 2) were on an Interstate passing through, so they say more about through-traffic than about the town’s own streets.
That is about what is typical for Michigan towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (12.4 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Indian River’s size would see about 1 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Indian River’s own rate (19.6) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Indian River and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscarora Township | B | 1.3 | 10.7 |
| Koehler Township | — | — | — |
| Mullett Township | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Koehler Township and Mullett Township have no FBI figures of their own for 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 Indian River
Is Indian River, MI safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Indian River. The nearest Michigan towns with a grade are Tuscarora Township (B, 1 mi), Cheboygan (C, 17 mi), Petoskey (B+, 17 mi).
Who polices Indian River?
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office. Indian River is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Cheboygan 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 Indian River.
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.