West Covina named top-5 safest cities in the U.S.

WEST COVINA, Calif. - A Los Angeles County city made the shortlist of the nation’s safest cities!

West Covina, according to a study from personal finance technology company MoneyGeek, listed West Covina as the No. 3 safest in the country for cities with populations over 100,000. The results of the survey was also featured on Forbes Magazine.

As we talked with people who live and work in West Covina it quickly became clear we were finding people who loved their city. One woman told us she had been there her whole life and always felt safe.

As we talked with locals we heard repeatedly that residents with whom we were talking felt safe. Some talked about the good schools and senior centers.

Captain Ken Plunket with the West Covina Police Department thinks their policing strategy has worked well.

"Well, at the police department we use a service area policing model and our officers are proactive so we are hopefully responsive to the needs of our community," said Plunket.

This is West Covina’s 100th anniversary. Assistant City Manager Roxanne Lerma says the city started off a century ago as an agricultural community with "… orange groves and walnut groves and it turned into a bedroom community."

When surveys like this are released, more people may want to move into an area because it’s perceived to be safe. West Covina has seen a population growth since the 2020 census.

The city is not without crime. It has its share like any other city, but it’s considered the third safest city in the nation for cities of 100,000 or more because, as Melody Kasulis with MoneyGeek puts it, it has less more-serious crimes than serious ones.

 "West Covina was #3 on our analysis for safest city and the reason being that West Covina’s crime rate is vastly below what the national average is," she said.

Kasulis says the national average for violent crimes is just over 560 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.

 "West Covina is around 49 so that’s very, very low," she said.

Another Inland Empire city ranking high on the list is Rancho Cucamonga. Norma Gutierrez-Basulto says she loves her Rancho. She feels safe.