Patrolman Jarrod Davis of the Greenfield Police Department prays along with his fellow officers during a Memorial Day service earlier this year.
GREENFIELD — Greenfield has ranked within the top 10 safest cities in Indiana for the second year in a row.
The recent ranking was compiled by SafeWise, a community-focused organization aimed at increasing safety education, awareness and preparedness by providing tools and information to help people make their homes safer.
“It’s the main ranking we see each year,” said Greenfield police chief Brian Hartman, who attributed his department’s high placement to the diligence and dedication of its officers.
“They work hard each day through the traffic stops they make and the patrols they do and their efforts to prevent drugs and guns from coming into the city,” he said.
Hartman also credited the Hancock County Prosecutor’s office for building a reputation of being tough on crime.
“We see a lot of times the cases in Indianapolis don’t get prosecuted, but people know that if you come over here in Greenfield and if we catch you — when we catch you — you will be prosecuted and be held accountable,” said the police chief, “which helps keep some of the crime away.”
The annual SafeWise survey ranked Greenfield the tenth safest Indiana city in 2023 and the ninth safesty in 2022.
The town of St. John in northwest Indiana topped the list this year, followed by Zionsville, Dyer, Carmel, Fishers, Brownsburg, Westfield, West Lafayette and Huntington.
The high ranking doesn’t mean Greenfield doesn’t have its share of problems, said Hartman, who was promoted to chief in June 2021.
“I will never lie and say we don’t have a drug problem. We have a drug problem just like every community around the country,” he said Tuesday after the city’s Board of Works meeting.
“We have two officers on the GPD who are dedicated to our narcotics division, including a K-9 and K-9 officer who work full time in our narcotics division. I can say those two officers in the last two months have been hitting it hard. They’re putting a dent in it,” Hartman said.
“We are putting every effort into the narcotics problem not only in the city but in the county as well. We work with the sheriff’s department and their guys a lot because we deal with a lot of the same (offenders). Why waste resources and time when we can combine those resources and alleviate the time we’re chasing the same guy.”
As far as drugs are concerned, Hartman said fentanyl is the one wreaking the most havoc in Hancock County.
“Fentanyl is in everything now. There’s no more going out and buying marijuana and it being all natural marijuana. They’re lacing everything with fentanyl — marijuana, meth, heroine — everything,” said Hartman, who said the drug often proves deadly.
“Buying any drugs is bad, but fentanyl is going to kill you in a heartbeat. That’s the main thing we’re trying to get off the streets to make sure we don’t have residents overdosing,” he said.
Hartman said the department is also focused on equipping its officers with the most up-to-date equipment and technology.
“I truly feel that with the support we have from the city, the Board of Works and City Council, we have some of the best equipment in the state,” he said.
Each officer will receive a new computer within the next month, and the department is also purchasing 55 new handguns with a groove for an optional laser sight milled into the barrel.
“Officers aren’t required to carry a (laser sight), but if they do their gun will be compatible. This seems to be the trend where law enforcement is going,” said the police chief.
Greenfield mayor Chuck Fewell commended the local police force for helping the city achieve a top ten ranking from SafeWise for the second year in a row.
“It just goes to show that the diligent effort of the good men and women on our police department is paying off,” he said.
“When we talk to people about moving here, one of the things we tout is the fact that this is a safe community. It’s always a good selling point,” said Fewell.
“Oftentimes all you hear on the news is the violent crimes taking place, so it’s always nice to be able to say you live in a safe community. It’s well worth the time and money it takes to have our police officers trained and property equipped to make our city safe,” he said.
SafeWise reports that Indiana’s violent crime rate is below the national average, which represents a 13% decrease compared to last year. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by less than 1% during the same period.
That being said, SafeWise concluded that only 44% of Hoosiers throughout the state reported feeling safe in their communities, which is lower than the national average of 50%.
Eighty percent of Hoosiers said they believe crime is increasing, which is higher than the national average of 71% who believe the same.
The biggest crime concern among Indiana residents is package theft, reported by 61% of respondents, followed by property crime, as reported by 53% of respondents.
Hoosiers worry less about violent crime (49%) and gun violence (49%).
According to the 2023 SafeWise survey, Indiana saw the most significant decrease in violent crime over last year compared to the neighboring states of Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
