Surf City Named Safe City--Again
For the fourth year in a row, Huntington Beach has been listed as one of the safest cities in the country, according to a recent ranking that compiled crime statistics for metropolitan areas of more than 100,000 people.
“This ranking is important,” said Police Department spokesman Lt. Jon Arnold. “We are very proud to maintain the safety of our citizens for a fourth consecutive year.”
The Morgan/Quitno Press of Lawrence, Kan., listed Huntington Beach as the second overall safest city, just behind Virginia Beach, Va. Huntington Beach, with a population of about 200,000, was the only California city ranked in the top 15 of 207 cities with populations of more than 100,000.
The rankings noted that the Huntington Beach Police Department performs its duties with an average of 1.10 police officers for every 1,000 residents, on the lower end of cities its size.
The city’s listing comes as a contract impasse continues between the city and the police union, which has complained about a lack of raises for officers over the past six years.
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