By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
The National Council for Home Safety and Security has put out their rankings for the safest cities in the nation and for each state. Brandon Township is ranked as number four in Michigan.
“I’m very proud of the men and women assigned to this sub-station and the department in general,” said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Brandon sub-station commander Lieutenant Greg Glover. “They take great pride in the community and they enjoy what they do for a reason.”
In 2017, Brandon ranked at 9th, which means the township jumped 5 places for 2018. The study uses the number of property crimes and violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants. There are 15,692 residents in the township, and there were a reported 18 violent crimes and 51 property crimes.

That means per 1,000 residents, there are 1.15 violent crimes and 3.25 property crimes. The statistics are complied by the National Council for Home Safety and Security is a national trade association comprised of licensed alarm installers, contractors, and other relevant trade groups across the United States. The council uses FBI and other law enforcement data in their findings.
“One of the reasons I think is that we have a very high closure rate on our major cases,” said Glover. “We close most of our cases by arrest or other exceptional means.”
Glover also attributes the high ranking to their presence in the township.
“Most property crimes are caused by minors,” he said. “With the school liaison connecting with minors, it makes a big difference. Only a small percentage cause that kind of trouble.”
Glover also said he is not surprised that they ranked highly this year since the officers assigned to the substation take great pride in their work.
Communities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were eliminated as well as communities with populations under 10,000. Brandon Township’s population is about 15,000.
“The men and women assigned here do a great job,” he said. “We try to have a heavy presence in the township. The patrolmen spend very little time in the substation. Part of having an effective patrol is being seen, it deters crime.”
Oakland County had ten communities in the top 25 safest, and only Oakland Township ranked higher than Brandon at two. The other ranking can be found at alarms.org/safest-cities-in-michigan-2018.
“The citizens have always supported the department and the deputies understand that,” said Glover.