By Madeline Rozmus
Greenwich was ranked the 10th safest small town in the United States of America according to data from the personal finance firm MoneyGeek in a recent release from the town of Greenwich and first selectman Fred Camillo. Camillo briefly explained MoneyGeek’s methodology, and added that, according to them, Greenwich is also the safest town in the state of Connecticut and has the lowest cost of crime per capita in the state.
MoneyGeek was founded in 2016, and has developed to include over two hundred financial experts that work with clients to provide “timely and accurate financial advice.” Their study ranked six-hundred-sixty (660) small cities and towns overall from every state in the country, and the data which informed the results were “on violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault…as well as property crimes such as burglaries and car theft.” Standardized crime statistics reported to the FBI in 2021 were used for the study, and they specifically “focused on cities with a population between 30,000 and 100,000 residents.” 2021 data was unavailable from small towns in Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada, so they were not included in the study.
As for the cost of crime to society, MoneyGeek utilized research by professors Kathryn McCollister and Michael French from the University of Miami, and Hai Fang of the University of Colorado Denver. Crime cost per capita explains the societal cost of crime per resident (in millions), whereby Greenwich had $81 listed. According to Kathryn E. McCollister, Michael T. French and Hal Fang in their research paper titled “The Cost of Crime to Society: New Crime-Specific Estimates for Policy and Program Evaluation”, the cost of crime to society can be divided into four fundamental components: victim costs (Direct economic losses suffered by crime victims, including medical care costs, lost earnings, and property loss/damage), criminal justice system costs (Local, state, and federal government funds spent on police protection, legal and adjudication services, and corrections programs, including incarceration), crime career costs (Opportunity costs associated with the criminal’s choice to engage in illegal rather than legal and productive activities), and intangible costs (Indirect losses suffered by crime victims, including pain and suffering, decreased quality of life, and psychological distress).
They also reported the violent crime rate with Greenwich being 20.7 out of 100,000, property crime rate with Greenwich being 786.8 out of 100,000, and cost of crime with Greenwich’s being $5,123. For both violent and property crime rate data was analyzed per 100,000 residents.
Overall, the study had multiple key findings, their main point being that “small cities and towns are getting safer, while violent crime in large cities is on the rise,” as stated by their study article. Furthermore, they reported that small cities and towns have 42% lower crime costs than larger cities, although it is a possibility that a small city or town may have the same crime costs as a large city. MoneyGeek stated that 7 out of the 10 safest small cities are in the northeast.
Camillo recognized the Greenwich Police Department for their hard work in achieving this status, stating “This ranking is a testament to the excellent job our hard-working police officers are doing here, not only keeping us safe but working hand in hand with the community and our neighborhoods. We know we are in safe hands with the Greenwich Police Department.”
“First of all, it was an honor to get recognized, so the credit doesn’t belong to the police department alone, but to the community,” said Greenwich Chief of Police James Heavey, “A lot of what we do is community engagement, and the community is very good at being a good partner with us to make sure that we are aware of circumstances that are going on and being mindful of if they see something, to say something.”
In particular, Heavey mentioned vehicle thefts, “we’ve seen a significant decrease in those thefts year to year, and that is due to the fact that the public is helping us by locking their cars and taking them in…it is not just the officers on patrol who do a great job, it’s also the community who is ready willing and able to support law enforcement by letting us know when things are going on.”
Vehicle and property theft is still an ongoing issue though, as the town of Greenwich has had 40 stolen cars since January 1st. Heavey mentioned an important step to take to reduce the chance of vehicle and property theft when citizens are out of town: the Dark House Checklist. According to the town “Officers are informed and make periodic checks of the house until the homeowner returns.” It is important to note that a completed checklist does not guarantee checks of the residence, and the checklist should be completed for “vacancies of three days or more.” You can access the checklist at: https://www.greenwichct.gov/FormCenter/Police-4/Dark-House-Checklist-225. A final statement from Heavey emphasized community collaboration and attentiveness once again, stating “Don’t hesitate, we don’t mind the call, that’s why we’re here”.
