Using FBI and census data, website safehome.org recently published a comprehensive list of the safest cities in the United States and in each state. Minden was ranked as the second safest city in Louisiana.
The list used a number of factors such as violent crimes, property crimes, citizen-to-officer ratio, and trends over time to assign each city a safety score. Mandeville, the safest city in the state, has a safety rating of 81.46.
Minden is just behind at 79.43. For comparison, New Orleans has a safety score of 65.55, while Alexandria checks in at 31.06.
“I think Minden is really fortunate to be as calm and as safe as it is, considering the fact that we live within thirty miles of a couple bigger cities that have a lot of issues,” said Minden Police Chief Steve Cropper.
Nearby Shreveport comes in at No. 15 on the safety list with a score of 59.03. Bossier City sits at No. 11 with a score of 63.74.
Cropper said part of Minden’s relative safety could be attributed to the police force’s ability to get the jump on crime.
“A lot of it is we’re proactive,” he said. “We try to get out there and look for crime; we ride the streets. When shoplifters come from Shreveport, we don’t tolerate it. We’ll pursue them back to Shreveport if we have to.”
Despite having fewer numbers than before, Cropper said the Minden police help discourage crime through visibility.
“It’s just about being there and being seen,” he said. “We’re not quite as visible now as we have been in the past because of my shortage on manpower. But we do try to get out there and be on the streets as much as we can.”
The rest of north Louisiana is a mixed bag, with Ruston landing in the top five safest cities while Monroe comes in last among Louisiana cities listed.