There are so many reasons why I love living in Bella Vista, such as the weather, the amenities, the people and more. And now, part of the "more" is our police department.
Under the command of Police Chief James Graves (and his predecessors), Bella Vista is the third safest city in Arkansas. Fifty cities were rated based on FBI rankings of crimes. We scored 86.16 out of 100.
Numbers one and two respectively were Greenbrier and Greenwood. Also included in the top 10 were Centerton, Lowell, Farmington, Bentonville and Pea Ridge.
In this day of rampant hate and disrespect for law enforcement, it is good to know that we have a group of men and women who we can turn to and count on in our times of need.
A low crime rate and high safety rating don't just happen. It takes the dedication of everyone in the department, those in uniform, both patrol and investigation, the dispatchers, office administration and animal control. And it takes a city administration supporting their work.
It also takes a community such as ours working in tandem with the police, saying something when they see something, watching out for their neighbors and, most importantly, obeying the laws.
Yes, there are many reasons I love Bella Vista. And now I have one more.
Douglas Grant
Bella Vista
Editorial on 08/21/2019