Safety is job number one for all police departments.

But some cities are safer than others – or at least appear to be, and the numbers back it up.

The goal is to be number one of the Safewatch list of Safest Cities in Georgia, or at least top ten, which this year one local city has achieved.

“The goal is to stay oriented on the needs of the community and that’s what we are doing,” said Port Wentworth Police Chief Matt Libby.

For Port Wentworth, the needs of the city include knocking down violent crime.

“I think its good for businesses, hotels and apartments to say look we have a very proactive police department and they are ranked number 9 in the state, one of the safest cities in Georgia.” explains Libby.

Number nine, up five spots from last year, with only 1.19 violent crimes per thousand people.

For Chief Matt Libby, its proof that his efforts and message work.

“Our goals are simple to keep our city safe and provide the best service possible,” explained the Chief. “By being professional and compassionate and by being seen, by being highly visible, we are riding through our neighborhoods and through our businesses, on our roadways. People see that and bad people typically go where the police aren’t.”

Officers who we’ve shown you are taking drugs and suspects off the streets and making neighborhoods safer for everyone who lives there, making Port Wentworth a safe place to live.

“Its nice to know there’s some value to your work at at the end of the day they can go home and know they did a good job for the people they are sworn to protect,” said Chief Libby.

The study was done by the website Safewise, and is based on the 2015 FBI crime statistics for each city.

If you are wondering, Johns Creek was declared the safest city.

In our area the only others in the top 50, Richmond Hill was 22nd, Pooler 35th and Statesboro 43rd.

Savannah was 60th.

http://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-georgia/

Source: http://wsav.com/2017/01/17/port-wentworth-named-ninth-safest-city-in-georgia/