The Park Ridge Police Department announces that Park Ridge was recently listed in the Top 100 Safest Communities in the nation according to Location, Inc., a leading builder and source of location-based data and risk analysis information.
Location, Inc. provides crime data and other information to neighborhoodscout.com and uses that information to identify the safest communities across the country. Park Ridge ranked 72nd this year, and is included in the Top 100 along with 11 other Illinois communities.
The nation’s 100 safest towns are identified based on the number of property and violent crimes per 1,000 residents during 2011. Crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, vehicle theft, homicide, forcible rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault. The study indicated that Park Ridge is considered to be safer than 68% of the cities across the nation with populations of 25,000 or more, with the chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Park Ridge listed as one in 1,637.
News of the rating came as the Police Department announced its crime statistics for 2012. The overall crime rate for Park Ridge has declined almost 18% over the past two years, while preliminary data suggests that, nationally, crime rates may be going up.
According to the FBI, preliminary figures indicate that law enforcement agencies throughout the nation reported an increase of 1.9 percent in the number of violent crimes for the first 6 months of 2012, compared to figures reported for the same time in 2011.
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Park Ridge Police Department for their dedication and service,” remarked Police Chief Frank Kaminski. “To see crime rates going down, locally, while they are increasing at a national level is a sign that we are making true progress.”
He added that the Park Ridge Police Department remains committed to improving the safety and well being of all who live in or visit the community.
“This information really affirms what the department is doing. It shows that a lot of our programs, including our P.A.C.T. (Police and Community Together), Beat Team Leader, and our community policing philosophy have moved us forward,” says Kaminski. “Our department will continue to work to make improvements where we can until each of those crime categories say zero.”