Policing Fence Lake: who reports, and what
For a graded neighbor, the nearest is Grants (C), 59 miles away. Fence Lake has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Cibola County. The Cibola 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 Fence Lake alone, and no Safety Grade.
What stands out about safety in Fence Lake
Policed by the county
Fence Lake is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Fence Lake. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest New Mexico towns with their own police figures are Grants (C, 59 mi), Gallup (D−, 60 mi), Belen (D−, 106 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Fence Lake. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Cibola County without police of their own, which include Fence Lake.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Cibola 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 New Mexico towns with a Safety Grade
Straight-line distance from the center of Fence Lake. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Fence Lake.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Fence Lake 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 Fence Lake
Is Fence Lake, NM safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Fence Lake. The nearest New Mexico towns with a grade are Grants (C, 59 mi), Gallup (D−, 60 mi), Belen (D−, 106 mi).
Who polices Fence Lake?
The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. Fence Lake is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Cibola 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 Fence Lake.
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.