Thousand Oaks Ranks As 4th Safest City In U.S.

THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA.com) — The City of Thousand Oaks has ranked among the safest cities in America, according to an annual report by the FBI.

The Ventura County city ranked fourth out of 279 cities nationwide with a population over 100,000, beat out by Centennial, Colo. (3), Naperville, Ill. (2) and Cary, NC (1).

"We are very, very proud of the numbers," said Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Pena, who credits the city's police department and its law-abiding citizens with the low crime statistics. "We have residents who call in whenever they see something suspicious, so it is really an overall effort."

The rankings reflect a combination of violent and other crimes reported, per thousand residents.

"While there are many different factors that contribute to a city's ability to be on such a list, including factors beyond an individual city's control, it is an honor to consistently earn a spot on both the national and state top ten lists…let alone earn the Number One position for the State of California. The men and women of Thousand Oaks Police Department remain committed to working with the local community to keep Thousand Oaks as safe as possible," said Chief Pentis.

Thousand Oaks resident Bob Moody said he was pleased, but not surprised, by the low crime numbers.

"People are pretty mellow," said resident Bob Moody. "I don't think anyone's even honked their horn at me in this town."

Irvine (5), Simi Valley (7), Murrieta (8), Glendale (9) and Santa Clarita (10) also all ranked in the top 10 safest cities in the country.

Overall the statistics show a decline in crime nationwide over the past five years.

Click herefor the FBI's full list of cities.