Henderson ranked Nevada’s second-safest city

The city of Henderson sign on Lake Mead Parkway photographed on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Henderson. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

Henderson City Hall on Water Street photographed on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in downtown Henderson. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye

Henderson is Nevada’s second-safest city, according to a report released this week.

The state’s second-largest city had just over two reported violent crimes per 1,000 people in 2016, according to a report by SafeWise. Top-ranked Mesquite had about 1.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

Both cities had similar property crime rates at just more than 18.5 crimes per 1,000 people.

SafeWise analyzed FBI data from 2016 to determine the rankings. Henderson’s population has grown by about 20,000 since the data were collected, according to the city.

“Chief of police LaTesha Watson and the men and women of the Henderson Police Department do an outstanding job of keeping our community secure and that is reflected in our rankings as the second safest city in Nevada,” Mayor Debra March said in a written statement.

Watson took over as police chief last year. Patrick Moers was Henderson’s police chief at the time the data were collected.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.