Groton Among Safest Towns In Commonwealth
In two recent analyses of the safest cities and towns in Massachusetts, Groton ranked among the safest - placing at #7 on a WCVB Channel 7 evaluation and at #27 on the more detailed assessment completed by the Safe Wise Report.
The WCVB Top 50 Safest Towns list, released Oct. 4, was based on the FBI crime statistics list of violent crimes in every community in Massachusetts. According to their report, WCVB listed the Massachusetts towns where the smallest percentage of residents were victims.
Safe Wise, a national home security and safety company, released their list in June 2015. The assessment method in their report was more detailed. They also looked at FBI crime statistics, but in addition they eliminated cities with a population below 8,000 residents and any city that did not submit a complete crime report to the FBI.
Safe Wise then assessed each remaining city based on the number of reported property crimes (arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and larceny-theft) and violent crimes (robbery, murder, aggravated assault, and rape). Finally, to level the playing field for all cities, they determined the chance of these crimes happening out of 1,000 people in each city.
Of the Massachusetts 50 cities and towns that made their list, 49 reported no incidents of murder in 2013, and 40 percent reported fewer than 10 total violent crimes. In addition, 78 percent of the cities on the list had no reports of arson, and 33 cities reported fewer than five incidents of motor vehicle theft.
Safe Wise found that "these 50 cities boast proactive public safety programs and shrewd security initiatives that help their residents feel safe and secure."
Groton Police Chief Donald Palma, clearly pleased with the results of these two reports, said that he believes that this ranking is directly attributable to the Police Departments commitment to safety, citing the work of the department's detectives in keeping serious drug-related crime out and the engagement of his department in the community.
He pointed out that the members of his department have a deep community commitment and cited their volunteer work at the Veterans Breakfast, the Police Athletic League, Movie Night, the cookout for Senior Citizens, the holiday dinner and Grotonfest. Members of the department will also provide backup for Meals on Wheels when there is no driver available.
Another element of protection for residents was just announced by the Police Department. Chief Palma pointed out that there are now two posted parking spots at the Public Safety Building for anyone needing to do a safe exchange of any type, whether it is a purchase or sale from Craig's List, or any other transaction or exchange that needs to be done in a safe environment. He stressed that this parking area is monitored and videotaped and that there is no interference with the transaction unless it becomes clear that there is a personal safety issue.
Chief Palma attributed the success of the department to the fact that his officers are all committed, educated people. "We hire hard so we can work smart," he said, adding, "We have the right people in the right job."
"These are people who genuinely care about their job and the people they serve. It is a direct result of the support we've had over the years. The town puts its faith in the Police Department and vice versa. It is a win-win for everybody."
