Cary ranked third-safest city in U.S.

Cary, N.C. — Cary moved up in the latest rankings of safe U.S. cities and is now considered the third-safest among municipalities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999.

Amherst, N.Y., and Irvine, Calif., were named the two safest cities in the category, according to CQ Press, publisher of the annual “City Crime Rankings 2008-2009: Crime in Metropolitan America.”

Cary was No. 4 on the safe cities list last year.

“Even though Cary continues to be the safest large community in North Carolina and one of the safest places in the nation, we never lose sight of the fact that each crime we do have forever impacts one of our family, friends, or neighbors,” Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore said in a statement. “Keeping Cary safe is inextricably tied to keeping Cary one of the best places to live, work and raise a family, which is why we are constantly looking for opportunities to prevent crime from occurring.”

Gang prevention, cracking down on cyber crime and preventing crime in rental properties are among the areas on which Bazemore said Cary police are focused.