Safety index · San Diego · data through August 2026
Is Otay Mesa-Nestor safe?
Otay Mesa-Nestor records more reported crime than most San Diego communities. Its SafeRoute safety index is 23 out of 100 — 30 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 42nd of 53 San Diego communities — based on 429 incidents reported to the San Diego Police within 1 km of the community center over the 7 months to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 7 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to San Diego — a typical San Diego community sits near 53. It ranks Otay Mesa-Nestor against other communities here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (16% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 0% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 68 · 16% | |
| Other | 134 · 31% | |
| Drugs | 71 · 17% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 31 · 7% | |
| Vehicle crime | 44 · 10% | |
| Public order | 27 · 6% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Otay Mesa-Nestor at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.
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Common questions
Is Otay Mesa-Nestor safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 23/100). About 0% of severity-weighted incidents in Otay Mesa-Nestor are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a block or two of detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.
What is the most common crime in Otay Mesa-Nestor?
Violent crime — 68 of 429 incidents (16%) reported within 1 km of the community center over the 7 months to August 2026.
How is the Otay Mesa-Nestor safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the San Diego Police Department by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the community center, and normalizes against citywide crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety. The scale is calibrated within San Diego, so scores compare communities to each other and cannot be read against another city's.