3 area towns make list of 50 safest in Mo.

Three local communities have made a list of the 50 safest cities in Missouri, according to the website Safewise.

Jackson was rated No. 48 and had 1.93 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 54.21 property crimes per 1,000; Perryville was listed as No. 45 with 1.93 violent crimes per 1,000 people and 23.22 property crimes per 1,000; and Malden was rated the 23rd safest city in the state, with 1.87 violent crimes per 1,000 and 17.5 property crimes per 1,000.

Safewise provides home security and safety advice to people across the nation.

The five safest cities in Missouri are listed as Ballwin, Savannah, Town and Country, Bonne Terre and Shrewsbury.

Crimes such as rape, murder and assault fall under the violent crime designation, while arson, theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft are included in property crimes, said David DeMille, Safewise community manager.

The data are collected from Unified Crime Reports, which are released by the FBI annually. The current data are from 2012, with the next set of data to be released in September.

The numbers were compiled based on cities with more than 4,000 residents.

"The reason that we do that is because if you have a small population, even one crime can actually skew the numbers pretty significantly. We try to make it statistically significant," DeMille said.

Based on every 1,000 people, Safewise takes a look at the violent crimes and property crimes in each city. DeMille said they use the 1,000 ratios to "level the playing field for cities of different populations."

"The people that we've found that use it the most are people that are searching as they look to move to a new state or a new city. They are looking for areas that might be a good fit for their family," DeMille said.

Safewise hopes to provide the necessary information for homebuyers to make informed decisions, he said.

"It is our responsibility as citizens to try and figure out how safe our communities are and try to make our communities safer," DeMille said. "Whether it's through our home or family or the neighborhood at large, ... I know there's a lot of troubling news all across the U.S. right now, but I'm sure in Missouri it's a little bit more, so it's just important for us to take responsibility and figure out how to make places safer."

DeMille described Safewise as a community.

"It is what we strive to be -- on safety news and tips we offer solutions as far as home security and kind of try and compare those [results] and make sure the consumers know how they're reviewed," he said. "We just kind of try and promote safety and bring safety to the top of the minds of our users."

For more information on the 50 safest cities in Missouri, visit www.safewise.com/blog/50-safest-cities-missouri.

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

Jackson, Mo.

Perryville, Mo.

Malden, Mo.