FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      May 8, 2001

CARY, NC – Up two places from the previous year, the Town of Cary has been declared the sixth safest of 322 large cities in the nation in the 7^th Annual Morgan Quitno Safest (And Most Dangerous) City Award. Cary comes in just behind Simi Valley, California (5), Newton, Massachusetts (4), Brick Township, New Jersey (3), Mission Viejo, California (2), and this year’s safest city, Amherst, New York. Detroit is the most dangerous city, followed by Atlanta and St. Louis.

The determination was made by Morgan Quitno Press, a Lawrence, Kansas-based publishing and research company that uses a city’s rate for six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. All cities of 75,000+ populations that reported crime data to the FBI for the six crime categories were included in the rankings and each of the six crimes were given equal weight. Final 1999 statistics were used in determining the rankings.

"We’re obviously very happy with this our ranking in this year’s study and with the great job our Police Department does every day for the citizens of Cary," said Cary Police Chief WJ "Windy" Hunter. The Cary Town Council and Town Manager continue to recognize and support the importance of being proactive in conflict resolution, crime prevention, and community involvement."

Cities in North Carolina included in the study ranked as follows:

Additional information on these awards, plus rankings for each of the 322 cities and 252 metropolitan areas considered for the Safest City and Metropolitan Area Awards, are available from Morgan Quitno Press via the internet at www.morganquitno.com or by calling 785-841-3534.