Shoals a leader in low crime

The Shoals remains one of the safest places to live in Alabama and the country, based on crime statistics reported annually to the FBI.

Colbert and Lauderdale counties have combined to consistently be rated among the safest cities in the country, reaching the top five at one time. Determining where the Shoals ranks nationally, based on 2006 figures, could not be tabulated this year because statistics from the sheriff's office in Lauderdale County were not available.

In 2006, the Shoals was ranked among the Top 50 nationally in crime rate, and the crime numbers in virtually all of the crime index categories measured were virtually the same or less.

Crimes used to determine the ranking are homicides, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, vehicle theft and arson.

Among the largest cities in Alabama, Florence ranks third behind Hoover and Dothan in crime rate. The ranking is based on crime statistics reported during 2006. They are displayed on the Alabama Criminal Justice Web site. The actual number of reported crimes is compiled and tabulated on a per-100,000 basis.

Florence's crime rate was 6,383 per 100,000 residents. The city logged 2,362 crimes during the year. Hoover, with a crime rate of 3,995, and Dothan, with a 6,020 crime rate, topped the list.

"I've said this many times and I still do: I wouldn't trade our area in terms of crime with most any city in the country," said Florence Police Chief Rick Singleton. "This is a safe place to live, no doubts about that."

Nearby cities also score well in the ranking. Russellville, for instance, is among the safest cities in the state - regardless of size - with a crime rate of 1,534 per 100,000 people, based on the reported data.

Sheffield's crime rate was listed at 3,505 per 100,000, while Muscle Shoals had a rate of 3,888 and Tuscumbia's was 4,121.

Sheffield Police Chief Doug Aycock agreed with Singleton's assessment that the Shoals remains one of the safest areas nationwide.

"Anyone who spends time in other cities, particularly larger cities, will tell you how safe this area is and how crime is a problem in some larger cities," he said. "I would rate this area real high overall.

"We have a lot of professional law enforcement departments and well-trained, sincere officers in our area. Another big factor is that our residents are good about helping us with information. Often, their information is crucial to helping solve and, in some cases, prevent crimes."

Aycock and Singleton both pointed out that violent crimes are generally low in the area. There were only two homicides logged in the 2006 crime data reported in the Colbert-Lauderdale area. Florence, the area's largest city, has not had a homicide in 16 months.

"There's no way to control some crimes or predict when someone is going to lose control," Aycock said. "So, anyone who tells you they're not going to tolerate this crime or that crime is living in a pipe dream. Some crimes are just going to happen no matter what you do or how proactive you are.

"And there's the luck or grace of God factor because some assaults could easily become homicides had a fraction of an inch gone either way."

Singleton said it's extremely rare for a violent crime in the Shoals to involve an innocent bystander. He said almost all violent crimes involve a domestic dispute or people who know each other.

"Our big issue now is property crimes," Singleton said. "Since we first saw meth come to our area four or five years ago, property crimes have been going up steadily."

There were 1,631 theft reports recorded in Florence in 2006 along with 547 burglaries and 77 car thefts.

"One of the things we've done to combat these thefts is to create a street crime unit," Singleton said. "The unit looks at street-level drug activity to supplement what the drug task force is doing.

"One reason we started it was because one of our officers in the community policing unit kept getting complaints from some individuals about the drug activity in a particular area of the city. We went out with a surveillance camera one day and within 15 minutes we had two or three drug deals recorded on video. They took place right there on a street corner."

Singleton said items taken during property crimes are often either sold, with the money used to buy drugs, or exchanged for drugs.

Singleton said it's rare for the street crime unit to put together an operation without coming back with a felony drug arrest.

"It's making a difference already with a number of arrests, but we're still working on it," he said. "You never stop working on criminal activity."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.