Westwood Ranked 12th Safest Town In N.J.

Westwood ranks at the top of a statewide list, and this one may be the most prestigious of them all.

Safewise.com, the self-proclaimed “authority on safety and home security news,” released its 2015 safest towns in New Jersey list, and Westwood was ranked number 12 in the state.

“Westwood has a reputation as a charming town with a strong spirit of volunteerism,” the Westwood entry states. “And, in part due to programs like the Drug Take Back event, it’s also earning a reputation as one of the state’s safest places to live.”

Nearly no violent crimes occur in the borough; the borough averages 0.18 violent crimes and 5.5 property crimes per 1,000 residents. Only two violent crimes, both aggravated assaults, were reported to authorities.

The rankings were based on communities in the Garden State with at least 10,000 people in 2013 and crime data reported to the FBI, known as the Uniform Crime Report. Safewise compared the number of reported violent crimes and property crimes in each city, and based each on a per-1,000 person ratio to make the ratios even across small and large towns.

Wyckoff, Bergenfield, and River Edge were also ranked in the top 10. Westwood, Hillsdale, Oakland, Ridgefield, Tenafly, Dumont, Palisades Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Glen Rock, and Fort Lee were ranked in the top 50.