Wyckoff Ranked Fifth Safest Town In N.J.

Wyckoff Township again 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 Wyckoff Township was ranked number five in the state.

“When it comes to fighting crime, communication between law enforcement and citizens is key, and Wyckoff Township does an outstanding job of it,” Safewise’s report on Wyckoff states.

The township uses Nixle, a online emergency notification system where residents can receive text messages, e-mails, or phone calls regarding crime and other public safety issues.

“As if that system isn’t impressive enough, we were wowed to see that this Bergen County community reported no violent crimes and its property crime rate was 83 percent less than the national average,” the report states.

Wyckoff also received a Gold Award for Excellent Safety Performance in 2011.

Franklin Lakes was ranked No. 31 on the list. Six new police patrol vehicles were purchased and the police department operates a Safe Streets program. The department takes a “proactive, community-oriented approach to law enforcement.” The violent crime rate is 50 percent less than the average city on the list.

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.

In addition to topping the state’s rankings, Chatham Township was ranked number 14 overall in the website’s 100 safest cities in America report.

Bergenfield, River Edge, and New Milford 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.