Based on the crime rate statistics, new analysis ranks Snoqualmie, Oak Harbor, Sunnyside, West Richland and Enumclaw as the five safest cities of Washington. On the other hand, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma, Spokane and University Place were ranked as the least safe cities.

The National Council released the analysis statistics for Home Safety and Security – a trade organization for home security businesses, based on the violent – crime and property – crime rate.
To build the statistics, the council divided the total population of a city by the total number of crimes, which was a sum of all violent crimes such as murder, manslaughter, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault and the property crimes such as burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In addition to this, the total number of crimes in a city was further divided by the number of law enforcement officers to determine something called as “Police Adequacy.” Results of both the calculations were used to create a safety score for each city by tallying the figures.

The study suggests that the overall per-capita rates of violent crime and property crime in Washington State, come in about 19% below the National average. As per the FBI crime report, Seattle ranked 46th, with 4,564 violent crimes and 37,934 property crimes. Seattle being on top of the list of property crimes of major U.S cities, out of which half involve vehicles.

The data has been collected by around 8,793 law enforcement agencies, which represents approximately 193 million United States residents.

Residents of different cities reacted differently over the statistics. Few agreed with the reports, and few had contradictory opinions.

Joan Pliego, a spokeswoman for the city of Snoqualmie, seemed to be very positive about the report. She was very happy about the ranking and stated as follows, “ It’s the fourth time in four years, that the city has been ranked among the safest cities. It’s pretty exciting for us, and we are thrilled by the recognition”. She adds, “ Our city police and fire department are doing a great job. Their motto – No call is too small, reflects in their service”.

On the other hand Sgt. Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s office, is not very happy with the credibility of the statistics. He says, “It doesn’t seem right. It’s bizarre. The University Place is actually one of the areas where we hardly find any issues. It’s got the highest real estate value, the most sought after schools, and it’s really quiet”.