Pacifica Makes List of 100 Safest Cities in America

Pacifica has been named one of the 100 safest cities in the U.S., according to Location, Inc., a national residential and commercial data tracking company.

The seaside community, known for its good schools, surf, ocean views and annual Fog Fest and Earth Day, was ranked No. 90 on the list. Pacifica, after all, means "peaceful" in Spanish.

Each year since 2002, Neighborhood Scout has published a list of the top 100 safest cities in America, calculated on cities with 25,000 or more population, and based on the total number of crimes per 1,000 residents.

Data used for the research includes the total number of UCR [Uniformed Crime Reporting] crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and the population of each city.

According to the crime data in the list, Pacifica — with a population of more than 38,000 residents — is safer than 66 percent of the cities in the U.S. and also has a lower crime rate than 82 percent of the communities in California. How risky is that? Your chance of becoming a victim in Pacifica is one in 70 based on the total crime rate (violent and property crimes, combined). In America overall, your chance of becoming a victim of crime is 1 in 30.

"Having worked with the Pacifica Police Department for over 30 years, I have always found that we have a safe community," said Jim Tasa, Chief of Police of the Pacifica Police Department. "It’s not that we don’t have crime, because we do have our share, but in many ways it is how we go about proactively combating it on a daily basis."

Tasa credits the police department's hands-on community approach, along with the quality of individuals working at the department, for keeping the crime rates down in Pacifica.

"When we learn of crime trends or problem areas, we look at those specific issues and utilize any and all resources we have available to us to minimize the crime," said Tasa. "This, historically, has worked for our department and community."

Do you think Pacifica is that safe? Tell us in the comments.

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