City of Sugar Land

Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land was recently named America’s 12th Safest City, a distinction based on an analysis of FBI crime statistics. The distinction makes Sugar Land the safest city in Texas.

The national ranking is included in the annual publication of City Crime Rankings 2010-2011: Crime in Metropolitan America, a report published by Washington-based CQ Press to spotlight crime comparisons in U.S. cities and metropolitan areas. The publication’s authors have compiled state and city rankings books for more than two decades.

“We are committed to providing exceptional public safety services and taking a leadership role in building community partnerships,” said Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley, who credits a strong police presence and active citizens for Sugar Land’s low crime rate. “It's important for us to stay connected to the community, which enables us to work together to create a safe environment to live and work.”

According to CQ Press, the incidence of crime is of real concern to millions of Americans, and the rankings help them better understand what is happening in their communities.

Sugar Land’s violent crime rate decreased 11 percent during 2009 and investigative clearance rates improved by 4.7 percent, according to statistics included in the Sugar Land Police Department’s most recent annual report.

Sugar Land’s violent crime rate in 2009 was 1.38 per capita, down from 1.55 in 2008, well below the state’s violent crime rate of 5.08 per capita and the nation at 4.55, and the overall crime rate declined from 27.47 per capita in 2005 to 24.68 in 2009.

The CQ Press rankings of the safest and most dangerous cities and metropolitan areas are calculated using six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. These categories have been used for determining city ratings since 1999. The rankings include all cities of at least 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI in the categories noted.

The newly released CQ Press report once again ranking Sugar Land among the safest cities in America is a credit to the department’s commitment to enforcement, partnerships, technology and quality staffing, says Brinkley. It also reflects a commitment toward City Council’s goal of “Safest City in America.”

Several police initiatives were implemented last year to address property crimes, including a partnership with retail districts and neighborhoods to encourage the use of cameras for security purposes. SLPD also created a task force that focused exclusively on vehicle burglaries, shopper safety and public education. Additional resources were allocated toward the better distribution of crime data through direct communications with homeowner associations, SLtv 16, e-policing and the Crime Prevention Division.

For more information on CQ Press’ Safest Cities, visit http://www.cqpress.com/.