Oklahoma
These Oklahoma towns are among the safest in the nation: See the list
Austin, OKC listed as top US cities attracting young professionals
A study concluded that young professionals are more open than ever to living in smaller metro areas.
Edmond and four other Oklahoma communities were named among the safest small towns in the U.S., according to a new study.
The study, conducted by Vivint, a home security system brand, used FBI property crime data from 2023 to determine which small towns were the safest. The company analyzed trends for property crime, larceny, motor vehicle theft and robbery for U.S. towns with populations of 50,000-100,000 residents.
Analysts ranked the towns by weighing each variable equally to determine which were the safest. Vivint’s list included 425 towns, shedding light on where safety is prioritized and the factors that make these towns stand out.
Here’s a breakdown of where Oklahoma towns ranked in the study and why, as well as a round-up of the top towns on the list and some tips from the company to protect your personal property.
What are the safest small towns in the U.S.?
These 10 small towns were found the safest, according to Vivint.
- Columbus, Indiana
- Wheaton, Illinois
- Saratoga Springs, Utah
- Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Little Elm, Texas
- Sammamish, Washington
- Newton, Massachusetts
- Little Elm, Texas
- Yucaipa, California
- Chino Hills, California
What Oklahoma towns are the safest?
According to Vivint, Edmond was ranked as Oklahoma’s safest town and 132nd safest nationwide. The city has the fewest property crimes among Oklahoma cities on the list with a rate of 156.4 crimes per 10,000 residents. Edmond also has 129 larcenies, 9 vehicle thefts and 1.5 robberies per 10,000 residents, according to FBI data.
Second to Edmond, Moore also stood out among Oklahoma towns in the study with fewer larcenies (116.4) per 10,000 residents.
On the other side of the scale, Enid has the state’s highest rate of property crimes per 10K residents at 282.7, Midwest City has the highest rate of larceny at 192.5, and Lawton has the highest robbery rate at 7.1, according to study data.
For scale, the town ranked lowest in the list of safest towns was San Leandro, California. That community has 593.6 property crimes, 301 larcenies, 230 vehicle thefts and 43.5 robberies per 10,000 residents, according to study data.
Here’s a breakdown of how Oklahoma towns ranked on the list:
- 132. Edmond
- 152. Moore
- 251. Lawton
- 260. Enid
- 265. Midwest City
How to protect your personal property
Here are some practical tips from Vivint to help safeguard your belongings, whether you live in a safe small town or in more populated areas with a higher crime activity:
- Install security cameras and alarms: Security systems act as both a deterrent and a means to gather evidence if a crime occurs. Smart cameras with motion detection and remote monitoring features can provide added peace of mind.
- Lock your doors and windows: It may sound simple, but consistently locking all entry points, including car doors, can significantly reduce the risk of theft. Most property crimes are crimes of opportunity, and an unlocked door is an open invitation.
- Keep valuables out of sight: Avoid leaving expensive items like electronics, jewelry, or shopping bags visible through windows in your home or car. Use blinds or curtains to obscure valuables in your home and store items in the trunk of your car when parked.
- Light up your property: Motion-activated outdoor lighting can deter criminals by removing the cover of darkness. Well-lit properties are less attractive targets for burglars and thieves.
- Get to know your neighbors: A strong community network can help prevent crime. Neighbors who look out for one another are more likely to spot and report suspicious activity, adding an extra layer of protection.
Oklahoma
Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma
Elite Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
It happened in the Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela.
Social media posts how strikes ordered by President Trump into Venezuela and its military bases.
News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell said the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America has not always been smooth and adds so many dominos will fall as a result.
“Venezuela is the beachhead for our adversaries that’s Cuba and Russia and China and Iran and it looks as if this latest situation where that they were assembling Iran swift attack boats that was sort of the last straw,” said Mitchell.
Retired war correspondent Mike Boettcher said the planning on capturing Maduro began in mid-December.
He adds Venezuela is a massive oil supplier whose oil has been taken off the market for years because of sanctions.
He has concerns about what comes next.
“That disrupts a lot of things.It even has an effect on the war in Ukraine, as Russia, you know, has used higher oil revenue because Venezuela’s oil was off the market.Oil prices went up.It helps fund the war in Ukraine,” said Boettcher.
The ramifications could even reach Oklahoma.
“China gets a 30 percent discount on the oil.If Venezuela goes for a more legitimate government and the sanctions are lifting, then they’re flooding the oil markets and that means bad news for the Oklahoma economy,” added Mitchell.
Following the capture of Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. will take control of the oil reserves in Venezuela.
Sources also say there are plans from the current administration to recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars in their oil industry.
A verified video shows the current state of Venezuela after the military operation.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal
Oklahoma State EDGE Kyran Duhon plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Duhon was a member of the 2024 recruiting class.
Duhon spent one year at Oklahoma State, logged 16 total tackles (eight solo) across nine games. He began his career at UTEP, where he had a productive true freshman season, Duhon finished 2024 with 43 total tackles, including seven sacks and two PBUs.
At UTEP, his one season there resulted in second team All-Conference USA honors. He was also named to the On3 True Freshman All-America Team as well as the the Conference USA All-Freshman team.
However, Duhon’s stay in Stillwater didn’t go as expected. Oklahoma State finished the season with a 1-11 record, which included the Cowboys firing longtime head coach Mike Gundy after a 1-2 start. Doug Meacham was named interim head coach but ended the year 0-9.
Eric Morris has since been named as the program’s next head coach. He comes from North Texas, which finished with an 11-2 record and a trip to the American Conference championship game this past season. However, it doesn’t appear that Duhon will be sticking around during the changing of the guard at Oklahoma State this offseason.
Before college, Duhon was the No. 1,706 overall player in the class, and was recruited as the the No. 165 linebacker during the cycle, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was ranked as the No. 242 overall player out of Texas.
Once the NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, players can officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and go on to initiate contact with their preferred schools. The portal will be open for 15 days and close on Jan. 16.
Notably, players who are on teams competing in the national championship game are allowed five extra days to make their portal decision. The College Football Playoff championship game will be played on Jan. 19, so the players on those teams will be allowed until Jan. 24 to enter the portal and choose their next school.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma man doing target practice in back yard charged in fatal shooting of neighbor
A man in Oklahoma is facing a manslaughter charge after he allegedly shot a woman several blocks from his home while firing a gun he got himself for Christmas at an energy drink can in his back yard.
As told in court documents reviewed by NBC News, the death of Sandra Phelps at the hands of Cody Wayne Adams illustrates how deadly the consequences can be when those engaging in the US’s prevalent gun culture do so unsafely. Adams’s back yard was not equipped to stop bullets from leaving the property and striking unsuspecting people in the surrounding area, according to authorities.
Phelps was sitting under a covered porch with family on Christmas and holding a child in her arms when they heard gunshots north of the house, said an affidavit laying out the circumstances of Adams’s arrest.
“Sandra commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas and then shortly after Sandra said ‘ouch’ and collapsed,” the affidavit said. It said there were no more gunshots after that.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to Phelps’s address at about 3.15pm Thursday, the Stephens county sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“We later received a call stating an individual had just received a gun for Christmas and was target practicing in his backyard and that they believed it would be pointing in the direction of the scene,” the sheriff’s office statement added.
“Investigators went to the reported address and spoke with an individual [who] confirmed he was shooting a target in his back yard and that he had heard that someone has died from a gunshot wound a couple of roads over.”
That individual was Adams, 33, who showed deputies a Red Bull can in his back yard that he had been shooting with his handgun, according to the affidavit justifying his arrest.
Authorities allegedly concluded that the vantage point from where Adams was shooting aligned with the angle of the bullet that killed Phelps. They also determined the home lacked a suitable shooting backstop meant to protect those in the surrounding area from being struck by stray bullets.
“Adams became visibly upset and began to cry” when he learned of Phelps, the affidavit added. He was arrested on a count of first-degree manslaughter and later released on a $100,000 bond.
In the US, unintentional deaths from firearms are a small percentage of gun deaths in the country. But they occur four times more often in the US than in comparable countries – and most involve a handgun.
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