Area communities among safest in state, according to ranking

Some area communities are being counted among the safest in Ohio this year.

Russell Township, Chester Township, Kirtland and Mentor-on-the-Lake all made the top 50 of a list compiled by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.

The townships came in at Nos. 1 and 2, while Kirtland was listed at 20 and Mentor-on-the-Lake, 47.

Alarms.org is the official website of the council, which is a national trade association comprised of licensed alarm installers, contractors and

related trade groups. Its focus is on legislative initiatives that affect members, as well as the general safety and security of the public.

To identify the safest cities in Ohio, Alarms.org reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics, along with population data and internal research.

Communities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were eliminated, as were those with populations under 5,000. While the list refers to the safest “cities,” the website acknowledges that townships exceeding the minimum population were included.

Communities 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 then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 70 percent of the total and property crimes accounting for 30 percent. In smaller communities, the crime rates were calculated per 1,000 people.

Russell, a town of more than 5,200 people in southwestern Geauga County, experienced nine reported property crimes and one violent crime last year. Chester, its neighbor to the north, is home to about 10,400 residents. It also saw only one reported violent crime and 35 property crimes last year.

“I feel the entire county is a safe place to live,” said Scott A. Hildenbrand, who wasn’t aware of the list’s criteria. “I don’t think one township is safer than the

To identify the safest cities in Ohio, Alarms.org reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics, along with population data and internal research.

other.”

Kirtland has a population of 6,800 and is ranked in the top 40 safest cities by two different organizations, Mayor Doug Davidson said.

“Statistics being what they are, often one incident in a category will make for a dramatic shift in results,” he said. “I would like to commend our Kirtland Police Department, led by Chief Wayne Baumgart, for their efforts to make Kirtland a great place to live and work. The community policing from Officer (Mickey) Beale’s Safety Town to the KPD Facebook page all make a difference.”

Mentor-on-the-Lake officials were presented a proclamation from the Ohio Governor’s Office June 27 for its safe city status. The community

has roughly 7,400 residents in 1.6 square miles.

“Based on my personal experience, M-O-L has always been a ‘safe’ city and a desirable location to work and live,” Police Chief John Gielink said, noting that its small geographic area usually allows police and fire response times within 3 to 5 minutes.

“Our patrol units and officers are always very visible in the community. We are bordered by other ‘safe’ communities to our west and east, and by Lake Erie to the north. Being a ‘bedroom’ community, our residents work with us to keep their neighborhoods safe.”

“I don’t believe that any one factor makes a city safe,” he added. “It takes a collaborative effort by everyone in the community to keep everyone safe.”