The City of Demopolis was recently named to a list of the safest cities in the state.
According to a report by the National Council for Home Safety and Security, Demopolis ranks 49th in its 2017 Safest Cities in Alabama report. Demopolis rated just above Montgomery at 50 and just behind Wetumpka, which was 48th on the list.
“This makes Demopolis special considering there are over 1,000 cities in the state and we ranked among the top 50 of those. This says a lot about our city and I congratulate the Demopolis Police Department and Chief Tommie Reese,” said Mayor John Laney.
Reese gives credit to all of those in his department for their efforts each day.
“I am extremely proud of every member of the DPD who works hard and sacrifices everyday to make our city a safe place to live and raise a family. It is a pleasure working with the best team of officers and support staff anywhere,” he said.
To identify the safest cities in Alabama, the NCHSS reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with population data and other internal research. Those cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were eliminated from the consideration and the list does not include with populations under 5,000.
The remaining cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 100,000 people. These variables were weighted with violent crimes accounting for 70 percent of the total and property crimes accounting for 30 percent.
The top city on the list is Helena, followed by Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook. Demopolis was the only city from the Blackbelt region to make the list.