South Fayette ranked as second safest community in Pennsylvania
A recent ranking listed South Fayette Township as one of the safest communities in Pennsylvania.
The National Council for Home Safety and Security, a home security company, ranked South Fayette as the second safest community in the state, with violent crimes and property crimes being the main criteria for the ranking.
Police Chief John Phoennik said the recognition makes the police department “proud.”
“It’s a reflection on all of our hard work and effort that we put into keeping the residents and businesses here safe,” he said. “It’s nice to see we’ve been rewarded for that, and we’re going to continue to strive to improve on a good rating like that and someday be No. 1. It’s an ongoing effort. We’re always looking for ways to enhance the safety of the community.”
With a population of 15,723, South Fayette had only two violent crimes and 65 property crimes in 2017. On a per-1,000 basis, South Fayette ranked sixth best in violent crimes at 0.13 and fifth best in property crimes at 4.13.
“I just think what we do, it’s attributed to our patrol officers who come here and do their job,” Phoennik said. “That’s the backbone of the police department and they do their job and they do it well. Ultimately, my job is to put them in positions to succeed for the department and the township. They’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do. We’re not just faces in the car. We’re involved in the community.”
Phoennik said the police department has recently started several initiatives that have made the community safer, such as the crime tip line online, the bicycle patrols and other community-oriented policing measures.
“The most important thing is the lines of communication are open up between the police and the residents,” he said. “If each of them communicate and understand we’re all in this together, it goes a long way.”
Along with improved communication, Phoennik said basic patrolling has made South Fayette safer.
“There’s no way to gauge what you prevent while it’s happening,” he said. “Our patrols, you never know that you stopped something. Being seen and being heard adds up to being a safe community.”
While many attribute South Fayette’s growing population to the success of the school district, Phoennik said families and businesses moving into the township also look at the safety of the township.
“The three factors that make people want to move are the school district, how safe the community is and affordability,” he said. “I think people are willing to pay a little bit more in taxes if the school district is as good as South Fayette’s and a police department that has the record of being a safe community. Those are the factors that lure people into a certain area.”
Each community in the top five has fewer than 21,000 residents. Adams Township topped the list, and Penn Township, New Hanover Township and Buckingham Township rounded out the top five.
The other communities in the South Hills were also well represented on the council’s list of 210 different Pennsylvania communities. Upper St. Clair (17th), Peters Township (21st), Bethel Park (68th) and Mt. Lebanon (77th) were all in the ranking’s top 80 safest communities.