Mesa ranked as one of the safest large cities in the country

PHOENIX — Mesa is the fifth-safest large city in the United States, according to a new analysis.

The personal finance technology company MoneyGeek came up with the ranking using FBI crime statistics and the cost of crime per capita. It took into account cities with more than 300,000 residents.

“Any time anything like this comes out where our city is listed as one of the safest cities in America, of course, we’re very happy to hear that,” Richard Encinas, a detective and spokesperson with the Mesa Police Department, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Encinas said Mesa ranking so high on the list is partly a result of his department’s crime-fighting efforts.

“As a police department, we strive to reduce crime every day,” he said. “Our goal is obviously community safety, number one, and then to get people responsible for committing crimes off the street.”

While crime rates have been increasing nationwide, Mesa has been seeing a reduction in some of the most serious offenses.

Encinas noted Part 1 crimes have gone down in Mesa over the last few years. These types of crimes include murder, manslaughter, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, and burglary.

“They’re actually at the lowest that the city has ever seen,” he said.

Virginia Beach topped the list of safest large U.S. cities, followed by Honolulu, Henderson and El Paso.

Follow @GriseldaZetino