Several Oklahoma Cities Rank Low in Violent Crimes

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

MOORE, Oklahoma -- State officials said a low number of crimes in the state could lead to a new population growth in several low crime cities.

Last year, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, Norman recorded a low number of violent crime with only 167. Norman city officials said they believe improved police operations play a role, and voters have recently approved the hiring of 40 new officers.

"One of the primary reasons for the additional officers being added is to invigorate our community-oriented policing philosophy," said Norman Police Captain Leonard Judy.

Moore has also been hiring additional officers, 30 new officers in the last seven years. The city recorded only 93 violent crimes last year, but police said there's more to it than just numbers.

"We have a take-home policy where they get to take their vehicles home if they live in the city. We also allow them to drive their vehicles off-duty, which dramatically increases the number of police cars that are on the street at any one time," said Moore Police Officer Jeremy Lewis.

Moore and Norman are fast-growing cities, and their police departments believe a reputation for safety helps persuade families to move there rather than someplace else.

"I receive several calls a week from people that are looking to move to the metro area, and that's their first question is, 'what is our crime rate?'" Lewis said.

Captain Judy said even without the FBI's report, Norman has a great reputation as being a safe city.

"There have been other reports, besides just the UCR reports, that have put Norman in a very good light as far as being a safe city comparatively speaking with other cities both in Oklahoma and in our region," Judy said.

The FBI report found that out of Oklahoma's fifteen largest cities, Edmond has the lowest number of violent crimes.