Bloomington 25th safest metro area

Although junior Stephanie Pleiman grew up in Memphis, Tenn., she never experienced the downtown nightlife. Her parents were worried about her safety, and the few times she went to Beale Street with a group of friends, she was too distracted by the noise and the people to relax.\nSo when Morgan Quitno, a private research and publishing company, ranked Memphis as the fourth most dangerous city in America, she wasn't surprised.\n"My parents always told me how dangerous Memphis is," Pleiman said. "I never got to know the city that I spent 15 years of my life in. It's kind of sad."\nNow that she lives in Bloomington, she's making up for lost time and enjoying the comfort of her second home. \nIn its 11th annual report, the company ranked Bloomington as the 25th safest metropolitan area in America.\n"I definitely feel safer in Bloomington than I did in Memphis," Pleiman said. "Now I get to experience a downtown setting without looking over my shoulder. It's smaller, well lit and the people are non-threatening."\nThe company conducts its research by looking at the 2003 statistics released by the FBI on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle assault. The company then puts those numbers into a formula and compares each city to the national average on each crime category. Finally, the outcome is multiplied by a weight assigned to each crime and the scores are given. \n"We calculate the crime," said Scott Morgan, the company's president. "It's straightforward math, which could be our greatest strength and weakness to the survey."\nBloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said he is impressed with the study's presentation of empirical evidence, yet he takes it with a grain of salt.\n"Of course, my initial reaction with such a ranking is to be pleased -- it's good P.R.," Kruzan said. "But I'll be the first to object when the city or the campus gets a low ranking, so I have to be careful not to put too much stock into this survey despite the good ranking."\nMorgan said the study is important because safety is a key factor to a person's quality of life.\n"It points out how cities are doing in comparison to each other," Morgan said. "It makes them more competitive."\nMorgan said southern cities tend to have more crime. Cities with older demographics have less crime than a younger population.\nBloomington Police Department Captain Mike Diekhoff said employment and education are factors for establishing a safe city.\n"In cities with major universities, there tends to be less violent crime," Diekhoff said. "We have a (well-educated) citizenry. Bloomington is a safe city because of the nature and makeup of our community."\nDiekhoff said Bloomington isn't a typical big city and doesn't have inner-city issues. He said typical crimes reported are "crimes of opportunity," such as property crime, larceny and alcohol infractions.\n"We have all the same crime as other cities, but less of it," Diekhoff said. "The type of crime we have is minor, not a lot of major stuff."\nKruzan said he thinks most Bloomington residents feel safe. \n"But like any other place in the nation, you have to exercise common sense and not get too great a false sense of security," Kruzan said.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said safety is all about personal conception and perception.\n"To sum it up in one sentence: Be aware of your surroundings," Minger said. \nBut even with this warning, Pleiman said she isn't too worried about her safety. She's familiar with the roads, carries a cell phone and walks with groups of people.\n"I remember the first time I walked down Kirkwood at night," Pleiman said. "I wasn't thinking about my safety. I was just taking in the city." \n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Levco at jlevco@indiana.edu.