El Paso Had Lowest Crime Rate For Cities Its Size In 2010

El Paso again had the lowest crime rate for cities its size in 2010, according to a list of rankings released by CQ Press.

This is the second consecutive year the Sun City has earned the No. 1 spot in CQ Press’ City Crime Rankings 2011-2012. This rating compares crime rates in cities with a population of more than 500,000 residents. El Paso has ranked in the top three of this category every year since 1997.

The crime numbers used in this latest Crime Rate Ranking are from 2010 crime statistics.

In a release issued by the El Paso Police Department, Chief Greg Allen congratulated the citizens of El Paso and the employees of the department.

“This is a great accomplishment for all who live, work, and play in El Paso, Texas,” Allen said.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for improvements at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry on Thursday, El Paso Mayor John Cook said the city continues to be ranked within the top three for low crime rates because of the the community policing effort that was started a number of years ago was “really working.”

“El Pasoans care about El Pasoans,” Cook said. “They make sure that they watch out for each other, and we have a very low crime rate as a result of that”

Cook also pointed to the different law enforcement agencies in the city.

“We have great training for our police officers, and the sheriff’s department does a great job, as does all of law enforcement,” Cook said. “We probably have have every law enforcement agency that you can probably think of; from FBI to CIA to CBP. You just name them (and) we’ve got them in El Paso. It’s an extremely safe place.”

The safe-city label doesn’t come without criticism, since El Paso’s sister city Juarez is one of the most violent in the world, with thousands of homicides since a war broke out between drug cartels.

Cook, however, said the crime rate in Juarez is actually improving, as is the economy.

“I often point out that one of the reasons that you had the cartel violence and why it was so predominant in Juarez was because you also had an economic recession,” Cook said. “You had people who were out of work with no welfare, no food stamps and no unemployment insurance and very little choice but to turn to crime.”

He said that as Juarez’s unemployment numbers start dropping, so will the crime rate.

Cook acknowledged that violence in Mexico can reflect poorly on El Paso, but said the crime statistics show just how safe it is to live in El Paso. . “It’s a challenge for us. But I think we’re up to the challenge,” Cook said. “The statistics aren’t lying.”