Mike,
I fish it pretty frequently. Due to its proximity there is ample opportunity for the riff raff of the world to easily access the place and steal. I've had gear taken in the daytime from the back of my pickup years ago. Actually it was a pogie cast net. As for personal safety I've never had an incident that wasn't self induced,
but always keep an eye out in certain areas just in case. Also, I only carry what I need. Sounds worse than it is due to the internet and relative speed at which news travels. It’s always been about the same. I'm more worried about drunken kids than anything else because I fish the graveyard shift a lot. Just about the time I'm getting out they're on the way in and we cross paths quite often in some locales.
As for the shade factor, I would give it a 6 out of 10 for night fishing and a 2 out of 10 for day fishing.......
with a 1 being a nursing home and a 10 being a combat zone.