PORTAGE, MI - A website has named Portage one of safest cities in Michigan, and tied into that the city is also starting a new training program designed to help make the town even safer.

Jason Quimby, BackgroundChecks.org outreach director, notified Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas of the honor, adding "This is a true achievement, which is a result of city government, police, and residents working together to ensure that Portage is safe."

BackgroundChecks.org, a website devoted to public safety and open government, has listed Portage among the 50 safest cities in the state, ranking it 45th and one of only five in West Michigan.

Portage Public Safety headquarters.

The mayor said Portage works hard to be a safe city for residents, businesses and visitors.

"We need to give credit to our Public Safety Department," Strazdas said. "It is one of right accredited police agencies in Michigan by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

"Our citizens' survey also tells us they are satisfied with public safety in our city. Crime prevention is a constant challenge and it also involves citizen participation, strong communication with our public safety professionals, and deploying best practices in Public Safety."

The list was compiled based on FBI violent crime stats and propriety BackgroundChecks.org research data, the website said. Rates are normalized per 100,000 residents, with the state average being 427 for violent crime and 2,044 for property crime. The violent crime rate in Portage is 162.9, and the chance of being affected by property crime here is 3.5 percent, according to the website.

In comparison, other West Michigan cities and their rankings: Grandville, 15; St. Joseph, 36; Grand Haven, 46; and Muskegon, 48. The safest city according to the listing is Grosse Ile in the downriver Detroit area. Plymouth was second.

The complete research and article is available here: http://backgroundchecks.org/50-safest-cities-in-michigan-2016.html

Unrelated to the listing but tied into a couple of recent violent crimes in the area, Portage Public Safety is starting a new program to train individuals, schools and businesses on how to respond to an active shooter event.

Public Safety Director Richard White said that schools, businesses and community members often ask his department for advice about how to react to a potential active shooter event.

In response, the chief said in a release, the department is offering a new training program - Citizen Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE).

CRASE is a nationally recognized training program developed by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) in partnership with Texas State University that provides strategies and guidance for surviving an active shooter event.

ALERRT is funded in part by the United States Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Criminal Justice Division of the Texas Governor's Office. PDPS staff received training from ALERRT to provide CRASE instruction to the Portage community.

Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, the role of professional guardians, civilian response options, medical issues and more.

White said the program can be customized to different sizes and types of organizations, including retail/commercial stores, medical facilities, manufacturing sites, schools and places of worship. The training is about 3-4 hours and can be held at the organization's location or a Portage facility.

A safety analysis of the organization's buildings can also be performed to assess safety risks and areas where improvements can be made. The PDPS offers the training at no cost.

For further information, contact Adam Dmoch, Portage Public Safety community policing officer, at 269-324-9255 or at dmocha@portagemi.gov.

Tom Haroldson covers Portage, Vicksburg and Schoolcraft for MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact him at haroldso@charter.net.