Highlighting the City's vibrant social scene and access to summer camps, the National Council for Home Safety and Security (NCHSS) ranked Newark Delaware's second safest City, noting "there's plenty to do and worrying about safety isn't necessarily one of them."
"Providing countless opportunities to enjoy all that Newark has to offer is important to the overall quality of life for our residents and visitors," said city manager Carol Houck. "But none of it matters if people don't feel safe. We are proud of the engaged officers in our police department as well as a strong network of concerned citizens and the support of the University of Delaware police department and are grateful their combined efforts are recognized through this distinction."
According to the report, Newark ranks below the national average in violent crime (2.63 for every 1,000 residents versus the national average of 3/1,000) and property crimes (18.81 for every 1,000 residents versus the national average of 39/1,000). The numbers support increased efforts by the Newark Police Department to adopt dynamic patrolling techniques paired with the latest technology.
"The men and women of our department are dedicated to serving and protecting our community and this recognition underscores that commitment to the citizen of Newark," said police chief Paul Tiernan.
To identify the safest cities in Delaware, NCHSS reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with its own population data and internal research. Any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were eliminated and cities with populations under 5,000 were removed. 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% of the total (due to their severity) and property crimes accounting for 30%. Finally, the decimal point was moved over a few spots to show rates per 1,000 people.