Malverne makes 10-safest list

The Village of Malverne has been named one of the 10 safest places to live in New York state by Movoto Real Estate, ranking eighth on the company’s list.

In compiling its rankings, Movoto, a real estate brokerage firm based in San Mateo, Calif., researched the FBI’s 2012 crime statistics from 213 New York cities with populations of 5,000 or more. The final results were based on annual rates of violent crime, such as murder, rape, assault or robbery; property crime, such as theft and burglary; and the chances that residents would be victims of crime.

Malverne reported a single robbery in 2012, according to the FBI data, preventing the village from ranking higher on the list, since it was one of two places in the top 10 to report at least one violent crime.

The village had a total of 28 crimes that year, and about 61 percent were thefts and about 36 percent were burglaries. Its 8,593 residents faced a 1-in-307 chance of being victimized by a crime.

Mayor Patti McDonald credited Police Chief John Aresta, Reserve Chief Charlie Kaufman and the local men and women who volunteer in both departments with keeping the community safe. “I just think it says a lot about the village that we’re the only village on Long Island that was named,” McDonald said. “I think that says a lot about the work the Police Department does.”

Malverne was ranked behind Elmira — Movoto’s “safest city in New York” — Briarcliff Manor, Lewisboro, Irvington, Mount Hope, Pleasantville and Stillwater.
In total, 351,073 crimes were committed last year in the cities in Movoto’s study, a majority of which was property theft.

To see Movoto’s Top 10 list, visit www.movoto.com.