The town of Reading is one of the United States’ safest communities, according to NeighborhoodScout.
Reading placed 13 on the list of 100 “Safest Cities 2014.”
“This award honors not only the Reading Police Department, but also a community bonded in prideful citizenship,” said a Reading Police spokesman. “The success of any crime prevention strategy requires a resourceful, vigilant police force and the full commitment of its residents.”
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NeighborhoodScout scans crime data of communities with over 25,000 people. Crimes can include: burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, murder, forcible rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault.
According to NeighborhoodScout, the data for this year’s list is fully vetted and complete data that was reported to the FBI in 2012.
Find out what's happening in Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A new list will be formed when the 2013 crime stats are finalized by the FBI in the fall of 2014.
In addition to Reading, several Massachusetts communities made the Top 100 list, including:
- Arlington - 78
- Melrose - 73
- Belmont - 67
- Newton - 60
- Milton - 52
- Needham - 26
- Wellesley - 24
- Andover - 22
- Reading - 13
- Shrewsbury - 10
- Lexington - 7
And the number 1 safest community in America is also a Massachusetts town: Franklin.
To see the full list of America’s 100 Safest Cities, click here.
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