Jeffrey D. Nutting, Town Administrator
355 East Central Street
Route 140
Franklin, MA 02038
For Immediate Release
Monday, June 29, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-533-9398
Email: john@jgpr.net
Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 978-769-5193
Email: jessica@jgpr.net
Franklin Ranked Number One Safest Large Town to Live In Massachusetts
FRANKLIN — Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting, Police Chief Stephan Semerjian, and the Franklin Town Council are pleased to announce that an independent organization ranked Franklin the number one safest big town in Massachusetts.
“We are pleased to make the top of list for places to live in Massachusetts,” Town Administrator Nutting said. “This is a testament to the hard work of our Police Department, Fire Department and dedicated community officials, as well as our residents, visitors, and business owners.”
Value Penguin conducted the study and determined rankings through collecting data from the 2013 FBI crime statistics by city/town.
The data report included property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson), along with violent crimes (murder/manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault) from all law enforcement agencies that chose to partake in the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program.
Because it is difficult to compare a small town to a large community, Value Penguin separated the safest cities into three categories: towns with populations between 5,000 and 10,000, midsize communities with populations between 10,000 and 20,000, and larger cities and towns with populations greater than 20,000.
Franklin fell into the largest category, as its population is almost 33,000. The town earned a crime score of 161, which was 80 percent lower than the study’s average, because it reported just seven violent crimes (six robberies and one aggravated assault) to the FBI in 2013.
An hour’s drive southwest of Boston, Franklin‘s safety is maintained by police Chief Semerjian and his dedicated police department.
“We remain vigorous in our policies and procedures to ensure that despite being a bigger community, we cultivate that small town feel,” Chief Semerjian said. “I am proud of our dedicated group of police officers who keep our residents safe every day.”
Value Penguin ranked 237 cities and towns and allotted them a crime score from 71 to 3,742 based on population size and the amount of violent and property-related crimes per 100,000 people. Shrewsbury came in as the second safest big city, followed by Westford, Reading and Acton.
View the complete article here.
###