River Vale, New Milford among safest towns in New Jersey after study

Residents of River Vale and New Milford can sleep easy, according to a recent study that named them the two safest municipalities in New Jersey for 2018.

The study by the National Council for Home Safety and Security, released Monday, ranked River Vale No. 1 and New Milford No. 2. Bergen County fared well on the list with four entries, including Hillsdale at No. 7 and Bergenfield No. 9.

The council reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics and added it to its own research on population and other data. Only municipalities with populations of 10,000 or more were included.

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"River Vale Township did not log a single violent crime in the latest year for which there is data, and boasts a property crime rate of just 2.59 per 1,000 residents," the study said.

River Vale Police Chief William Giordano attributed the ranking to his officers.

"It’s also due to a mayor and council and adminstration that work so closely with us, making sure we have the resources and personnel that we need," Giordano said.

River Vale has kept a traditional approach to its policing. According to the municipal website, the size of the Police Department remains at 20 officers, the same as it was 25 years ago.

"The River Vale Police Department will continue its mission, 'to provide the highest quality of service to its residents,' " the website states.

New Milford Police Chief Frank Ramaci credited the work of the department's officers for the rankings.

"I couldn’t be more proud of them, and I really mean that," said Ramaci, chief since 2015. "It’s wonderful to work in a place where it’s a really good community, and over the years I’ve seen more and more people attracted to this borough to live here."

The rankings were based on the number of reported violent and property crimes per 1,000 people.

Here are the Top 10 rankings:

River Vale New Milford Washington Township, Morris County Clinton Township Bernards Township Warren Township Hillsdale Monroe Township, Middlesex County Bergenfield Woolwich Township

The National Council for Home Safety and Security is a trade association made up of home security professionals across the United States, according to a press release.

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com