A Dallas Township police cruiser is seen in this submitted photo. Dallas Township, with a population of just under 10,000, has been listed as the 13th safest place to live in Pennsylvania according to the June issue of Pennsylvania Township News Magazine.
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If you reside in the Back Mountain, specifically three townships, consider yourself safe.
And, if your homestead is in Jackson Township, well, you can sleep peacefully knowing the township of approximately 5,000 residents was ranked the second safest place to live in Pennsylvania, according to the June issue of Pennsylvania Township News Magazine.
Dallas Township, with a population of just under 10,000, was listed as the 13th safest place to live followed by Kingston Township, estimated population of 6,882, at 26th.
Luzerne Township in Fayette County was ranked first.
The magazine’s article is based on a study by SafeWise, an independent review site using the FBI’s 2019 Uniform Crime Report combined with population statistics. The study was based on violent crime and property crime per 1,000 residents.
Gerald E. Williams, a retired state police corporal who became police chief in Jackson Township in April, credited his predecessor, retired police chief James Balavage, and the eight township police officers and supervisors for the second place ranking.
“I would give Jim (Balavage) a lot of credit,” Williams said. “That ranking is based on numbers and statistics from the UCR codes. It’s three fold, you have the community support, the residents are tight knit; Plus, we have the support of the township Board of Supervisors, they provide our department the proper equipment needed to do the job. And third, and this is important, is the men and women of the Jackson Township Police Department. We have seven full-time officers and and one-part time officer who are well-trained, professional and courteous. They are mothers and fathers themselves and they really take pride in policing the township.”
“The ranking is really a testament and we’re proud of this to the police department,” said Jackson Township Supervisor Jay Wilkes. “It’s a tribute to our police officers.”
Like Williams, Wilkes praised Balavage saying, “Chief Balavage was instrumental with the officers and the community. He was a working chief, out on patrol and responding to calls. He did a wonderful job.”
In response to being ranked the 13th safest place to live, Dallas Township Manager Martin K. Barry gave tribute to the police department, one of four accredited police agencies in Luzerne County. Dallas Township police was the first to be accredited in 2007.
“For the township, it shows first and foremost we have a very progressive police department and that shows with the leadership of the police department and their policies to have the department accredited,” Barry said. “With training and improvements they have gone through, they have the ability to do the job. They are out there doing drug enforcement, investigations and traffic and they do a very good job.”
Barry noted despite the high rankings of the three Back Mountain townships, the area does see its share of crime he believes is caused by “people passing through.” He said the Back Mountain is growing at a tremendous rate both residential and commercial.
Police Chief Michael Moravec in Kingston Township, ranked 26th, explained “visibility” by police officers results in less crime being committed.
“Generally speaking, it says a lot to the residents in our community, they expect a certain level of service and it trickles down from the manager and supervisors who have always supported us,” said Moravec, a 26 year law enforcement veteran who is president of the Luzerne County Police Chiefs Association and a member of the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.
Kingston Township is also an accredited police department. Other accredited police agencies in Luzerne County are Swoyersville and Hanover Township.
“Fortunately, we don’t have the reported violent and property crimes which allows us to be visible on the highways and be visible in the neighborhoods,” Moravec noted.
Other ranked Luzerne County municipalities deemed safe to live were West Hazleton, 89th, with a population estimate of 4,460, Plymouth, 121st, population estimate 5,780 and Wilkes-Barre, 123rd, population estimate 40,720.