EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville received what Police Chief Jay Keeven described as “a breath of fresh air during the coronavirus pandemic” when it was announced the City of Edwardsville is ranked No. 33 among Illinois’ 50 Safest Cities of 2020.

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Chief Keeven said the women and men of the Edwardsville Police Department are proud to serve the citizens and visitors of the community.

“We are especially proud of the fact our community has been named one of the safest communities in the state of Illinois by SafeWise.”

The Safest Cities recognition is determined by number of murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers per capita.

The 2018 crime rate in Edwardsville was 44 (City-Data.com Crime Index), which is 6.2 times smaller than the U.S. average. It was higher than in 15.9 percent of US. cities. The 2018 Edwardsville crime rate fell by 58 percent compared to 2017. In the last five years, Edwardsville has seen a decrease in violent crime and property crime.

Comparable rates in nearby cities was as follows:

Glen Carbon, 57.1

Maryville 58.1

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Troy, 84.6

Pontoon Beach 109.4

Hartford, 148.6

Roxana 239.9

South Roxana 264.2

Chief Keeven said he believes Edwardsville is simply “a great community.”

“Edwardsville residents are a very supportive and law-abiding community for the most part,” he said. “I have never seen a place where people take as much pride in their community as they do in Edwardsville. Obviously, this honor is the result of our police department’s hard work, but also the citizens. They aren’t afraid to pick up the phone if something is out of place and call us.”

To see more on the Safe Cities honor, view:

https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Edwardsville-Illinois.html

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