By Joe Reavis
Staff Writer
Sharing a sense of community was an important factor in the city of Murphy being named the Safest City in Texas last week by SafeWise.
Murphy landed at number one in its debut on the list, edging runner-up Colleyville which occupied the top spot a year ago.
The city tallied a score of 6.5 points based on violent crime and property crimes reported to the FBI for 2013. Broken down, Murphy had .20 violent crimes committed per 1,000 people and 6.30 property crimes per 1,000 people.
Police Chief G.M. Cox credits the ranking to not only work of the police department, but to community activities designed to bring residents together as neighbors. One program, Neighbor 2 Neighbor helps cultivate a strong partnership between citizens and law enforcement through activities such as block parties.
“The totality of the picture creates a better picture than one or two criteria,” Cox said. “The Safest City doesn’t come down to just crime.”
The chief also pointed out that Murphy was ranked as the 93rd safest community in the United States.
Second place Colleyville tallied 7.53 points, broken to 7.16 property crimes per 1,000 residents and .37 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
Two other area communities cracking the Top 20 were Sachse, coming in 11th, and Wylie, ranked as 18th safest in the state.
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