THOUSAND OAKS IS SAFEST CITY FBI FIGURES SHOW CRIME FELL 2.2 PERCENT IN 2003; SIMI VALLEY FALLS TO NO. 2.

Byline: Phillip W. Browne and Carol Rock Staff Writers

Thousand Oaks has claimed the title of safest city in America with a population over 100,000, unseating Simi Valley, which held the title for five consecutive years, according to 2003 crime data released by the FBI this week.

Crime in Thousand Oaks dropped 2.2 percent, while Simi Valley saw an overall increase of 16.4 percent, according to the data. Simi Valley dropped to second place.

``We're very proud of this. We have an excellent Police Department, a law-abiding community and good schools,'' said Thousand Oaks Mayor Bob Wilson. ``We have always been about slow growth, and this is why we are also the most sought-after city to live in in the Western U.S. Past city councils deserve just as much credit as we do for keeping the city the way it is.''

The city's mayor pro tem, Claudia Bill-de la Pena, said public safety is the council's primary concern.

``We will do everything in our power to keep this city the safest city in America,'' she said.

After Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, the remaining top five includes Amherst Town, N.Y.; Stamford, Conn.; and Daly City, Calif. ``The city is very proud to be in the position of being the No. 1 safest city in the United States,'' Thousand Oaks City Manager Philip Gatch said. ``It has taken a lot of work over many years to achieve this kind of objective.''

Thousand Oaks' population was 117,005 in the 2000 census and the FBI reported 2,007 serious crimes in 2003. Simi Valley was neck and neck with its Ventura County neighbor, with 2,068 serious crimes.

Gatch said the push toward community safety dates to city planning efforts in the 1970s.

``It doesn't just occur by happenstance,'' Gatch said. ``It takes a lot of time and effort.

``We not only adopted far-reaching standards, we made sure that the buildings that are built in the community are the safest that you can provide from a crime prevention standpoint. It's part of the planning process and the development process.''

In Santa Clarita, the city fell from eighth among cities of 100,000 or more people to No. 13. The rankings are based solely on raw numbers, not crimes compared to population.

Murders dropped 50 percent from six in 2002 to three last year. Eight fewer rapes were reported last year. Slight increases were noted in robberies and aggravated assaults, with 97 robberies and 188 assaults reported in 2003.

Phillip W. Browne, [phone]

phillip.browne(at)dailynews.com