Study ranks city state’s safest place to live

Boulder City is Nevada’s safest city to live in, according to a study conducted by the Movoto Real Estate Group, a licensed brokerage that analyzes the housing market in more than 30 states.

Based on statistics from the FBI’s 2012 Uniform Crime Report, the study looked at categories such as murder, rape, robbery and assault among others. Crime rates were then calculated per 100,000 residents, no matter the city’s population, according to Movoto.

Police Chief Bill Conger said he’s not surprised that Boulder City finished at the top of the list.

“It doesn’t surprise me. I’m really pleased,” he said. “I believe we are one of the safest small communities around. I think it’s outstanding.”

Though the study was based on numbers calculated before Conger arrived in Boulder City, he credited his staff, as well as the community with keeping the town safe.

“It’s a testament to the officers and what they do for the community,” he said. “The community interacting with the police department and letting us know what’s going on is very important. I’ve often said that Boulder City is community policing, and we need to carry that forward.”

Mayor Roger Tobler echoed Conger’s sentiment.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said about Boulder City’s No. 1 ranking. “I think our police officers really do a good job for the community.”

According to the study, Boulder City had 79 violent crimes per 100,000 people with no murders or rapes in 2012. The city also had 1,420 property crimes per 100,000 people, including 46 vehicle thefts, 762 thefts, and 612 burglaries.

Nearly 1,500 crimes per 100,000 people were reported in Boulder City for the year, the lowest number of total crimes of all the Nevada cities the study looked at.

Mesquite, Carlin, Henderson and Winnemucca rounded out the top five. Las Vegas was ranked 13th.

Contact reporter Steven Slivka at sslivka@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow @StevenSlivka on Twitter.