San Luis, Somerton rank among safest cities in Ariz.

SAN LUIS, Ariz. – San Luis and Somerton again are in the top 10 in the most recent ranking by Safewise of Arizona’s safest cities.

San Luis is in fourth place in the ranking for the past 12 months, while Somerton is No. 7, according to Safewise, a nationwide home security firm that does similar rankings annually for states across the country.

Each city’s ranking is based on violent crime and property crime rates reported for the period to the FBI, Safewise said in a report accompanying the ranking.

For the most recent oneyear period, San Luis had a violent crime rate of 0.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 14.3 crimes per 1,000.

Somerton had a violent crime rate of 1.2 crimes per 1,000 and property crime rate of 13.3 per 1,000.

Yuma was No. 23, with a 3.8 violent crimes per 1,000 and 23.3 property crimes per 1000.

San Luis and Somerton have routinely placed in the top 10 in Safewise’s annual rankings.

“We can say with heads held high that San Luis continues being one of the safest cities of the state,” the city’s mayor, Gerardo Sanchez said. “It’s an honor for the city to be recognized and it’s a reflection of everyone’s efforts but especially those of the police department and of the community’s support.

“City government has dedicated itself to safety and we have invested so much in our police department as well as the fire department, and that has had the impact of making the community safer.”

While San Luis dropped two positions in the most recent statewide ranking, Safewise noted it was the only one not to record a homicide for the period.

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya said his city’s ranking confirms what residents already know. He attributed Somerton’s success in keeping down crime rates to the close ties forged by the police department with residents.

“Having Araceli Juarez, a police chief who is from this community, who knows it and who demonstrates leadership, has helped us a lot,” he said. “But also each officer knows the community well and has a good rapport with the residents.”

Somerton last recorded a homicide in 2019 after having gone several years

without seeing one, Anaya said. The city periodically experiences burglaries or thefts that are quickly solved, he added.

Florence was again ranked as the safest city in

the state, but the Safewise report noted that a large percentage of its population consists those who are currently behind bars, in the state penitentiary there.