If you’re looking for a safe place to live in Washington — one where you don’t have to worry about someone breaking into your home — north Clark County might be your best bet.
ConsumerAffairs, a consumer-advocacy organization based in Nevada, recently released a study that looked at the safest cities in the United States and found Ridgefield to be the Washington city with the lowest burglary odds. La Center ranked third in the same category.
The study analyzed FBI crime statistics and Census Bureau data from 2014 to determine the odds of falling victim to burglary by comparing the frequency of the crime to the city’s population. The study found that Ridgefield residents have a 1 in 2,928 chance of being burglarized while La Center residents have a 1 in 1,547 chance.
Ryan Daly, ConsumerAffairs content manager who oversaw the study, said the research was part of a consumer report on home alarm systems.
“We want people to have as much information as they could before making an investment,” he said. “If I live in a high-crime area, I’d maybe invest in more of a system versus a low-crime area. If there are a lot of police in my area, maybe it’s not as important.”
The study found that Ridgefield has 15.37 police officers per 10,000 people and an average of 21.52 crimes per 1,000 people. La Center has 29.1 police officers per 10,000 people and a crime rate of 20.05 per 1,000.
The result of the study includes an interactive map that can be found at www.consumeraffairs.com by clicking on the Alarms and Security Systems link and then choosing the “safest cities” tab.
Ridgefield Police Chief Carrie Greene said that she’s aware the city doesn’t have a lot of burglaries but said the booming population likely has something to do with the results.
“We keep building our population pretty fast, and that’s going to really skew the data,” she said.
Last year, Ridgefield was recognized as the fastest-growing city in the state, increasing its population by 9 percent by adding about 500 new residents between July 2013 and July 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Greene said that the city still has its share of car prowls, and the safety message she’s constantly sharing with residents is to lock up their belongings. She shared the same message after hearing the ConsumerAffairs study.
“Don’t let that be the false sense of security, that you don’t have to lock your door,” she said. “You still have to take precautions and safeguards to make sure your home is secure.”
