Lewiston named 25th safest in New York

Residents of the Town and Village of Lewiston received some upbeat news this week, in the form of the community being ranked No. 25 among the safest cities in New York state.

"I have some good news," LPD Chief Frank Previte said this week as he announced the survey results. "We are proud to have been named No. 25 and the only community on this list in both Erie and Niagara County. We feel this is a testimony to the commitment of both the town and village boards to the police department and its mission. It further demonstrates the officers' diligence and commitment towards making Lewiston a safe and secure place to call home."

The listing, compiled by www.safewise.com, reviewed 2013 FBI crime report data from communities of 8,000 residents or more who furnished statistics. Lewiston has 16,110 residents according to 2104 U.S. Census data. Its rankings within the safewise.com survey found the following: violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 0.74; and property crimes per 1,000 residents, 8.28.

Alyssa Baker, author of the report and resident security expert of the team that developed the rankings, said the statistics were based on overall police activity for the respective communities.

"We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To further level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city," she said.

Previte, a long-time LPD member and chief of the 20-member department, took over last year when Chris Salada retired. He said, "We are proud to provide service to such a supportive and wonderful community, and will continue with our mission to serve and protect."

Previte reported that, for 2015, LPD statistics were as follows: traffic tickets issued, 1,437; traffic accidents, 353; total arrests, 289; and calls for service, 8,921.