Mayor Jim Staff recently received notification that Atmore has been designated as one of the safest cities in Alabama.
The designation came from the National Council for Home Safety and Security, an organization made up of companies and individuals in the home safety and security industries. According to Robyn Avery, Media Relations Manager, “Our goal is to further education and public knowledge about Home Security, Home Safety, Child Safety, and Senior Safety at Home.”
When the Safest Cities in Alabama report came out Monday, February 13, Atmore ranked 42nd in the top 50.
“With national crime rates on the rise, we feel that it’s increasingly important for residents to feel proud of where they live and that cities like yours should be recognized,” Avery said.
The following is from the notification to the mayor:
“Tucked deep in the south of the United States lies Alabama aka The Heart of Dixie or Sweet Home Alabama. A state that’s rich in history and filled with small town charm, Alabama has produced legends like Harper Lee and her classic book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Rosa Parks and the spark to the civil rights movement, and – of course – good ol’ fashioned sweet tea. 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.”
The organization’s stats show that Alabama is home to 1.5 percent of the U.S. population; is 79 percent above average U.S. violent crime rate; and is 42 percent above average U.S. property crime rate.
The top 50 safest cities in Alabama, according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security, are as follows:
1. Helena
2. Vestavia Hills
3. Mountain Brook
4. Fultondale
5. Southside
6. Pleasant Grove
7. Moody
8. Hamilton
9. Pelham
10. Daphne
11. Rainbow City
12. Satsuma
13. Athens
14. Madison
15. Daleville
16. Alabaster
17. Glencoe
18. Hartselle
19. Montevallo
20. Auburn
21. Tuscumbia
22. Fairhope
23. Hoover
24. Albertville
25. Prattville
26. Rainsvile
27. Spanish Fort
28. Saraland
29. Bay Minette
30. Attalla
31. Oneonta
32. Dothan
33. Enterprise
34. Cullman
35. Hueytown
36. Eufaula
37. Foley
38. Northport
39. Irondale
40. Florence
41. Chickasaw
42. Atmore
43. Decatur
44. Oxford
45. Jacksonville
46. Millbrook
47. Russellville
48. Wetumpka
49. Demopolis
50. Montgomery
To identify the safest cities in Alabama, the National Council for Home Safety and Security reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with their own population data and internal research. They eliminated any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and removed cities 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 then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 70 percent of the total (due to their severity) and property crimes accounting for 30 percent. Finally, they “moved the decimal point over a few spots to show rates per 1,000 people.”