Hartselle is one of the safest places to live in Alabama.

That’s not just the opinion of the people that live here and raise their families here, but it’s a fact.

In a appearance at the Rotary Club Tuesday at lunch time, Police Chief Ron Puckett presented the his fiscal year 2011 annual crime statistics report. Those numbers showed a very low violent crime rate. From Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2012, Hartselle had no murders, no robberies, four rapes and six aggravated assaults.

While there weren’t many violent crimes, there were a large number of simple assault cases, which is where harassment complaints are classified. There were 454 larceny cases, 80 burglaries and 51 drug cases.

In the past year, the police department’s dispatch call center received 28,045 calls last year, 27,150 of which were police business calls.

The department also made 5,896 traffic stops resulting in 4,049 tickets issued. Thank goodness I haven’t been one of those who got a ticket (knock on wood).

The city also responded to 359 traffic crashes including one fatality in the last year. As Puckett said, that’s one too many.

The best news of all is the department’s commitment to training. The department recorded 682 training hours for its 38 employees.

Chief Puckett said he’s been fortunate to work with this mayor and city council, which has been very supportive of the police department.

“A better trained officer makes him better able to respond to a call and to respond in a more intelligent way,” Puckett said. “It protects us and it protects our citizens to have a well-trained police force.”

Thanks Chief Puckett and the rest of the police force for keeping Hartselle one of the safest places to live. And I also appreciate the support Mayor Dwight Tankersley and the city council support our police department.

Puckett also said one of the things that keeps our area safe is because of the people who live here in Hartselle. Good people live here and neighbors look out for each other. That’s probably the most important thing that keep our community safe.

Brent Maze is the managing editor of the Hartselle Enquirer.