Area cities make another ‘safest cities’ list

Published 12:59 pm Tuesday, June 27, 2017

 

By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Helena is the safest city in Alabama, and several Shelby County cities are among the top 25 safest cities in the state, according to a listing recently compiled by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.

“Although it falls on the higher end of the U.S. crime per capita spectrum, life set against the backdrop of Alabama can be a pleasant one,” read the website. “Safety has always been an important factor when searching for a new place to call home, but a wavering political system combined with an increase in violent crime has made safety the number one priority for many Americans.”

While compiling the rankings, the council reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics for all Alabama cities with more than 5,000 people. The cities were then ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes such as assault, murder, rape and robbery, and property crimes such as burglary, arson, theft and motor vehicle theft per 100,000 people.

“These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 70 percent of the total (due to their severity) and property crimes accounting for 30 percent,” read the website.

Helena came in at No. 1 on the list, earing praise for having a violent crime rate five times lower than the state average and property crime rate 4.7 times lower than the state average.

“Located in the middle of Alabama just south of Birmingham, Helena residents enjoy movies in the park, citywide softball competitions, an annual Christmas parade and everything else that pairs nicely with a white picket fence. It is, after all, ‘Where you want to be.’”

Helena most recent crime statistics indicate the city sees 21 violent crimes per year and 126 property crimes per year.

Other Shelby County cities in the top 25 were Pelham, which came in at No. 9, Alabaster, which came in at No. 16, Montevallo, which came in at No. 19 and Hoover, which came in at No. 23.

To view the entire list, visit https://www.alarms.org/the-safest-cities-in-alabama-2017.