'I feel really safe': Cary named America's safest city

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- In the Duxbury Community in Cary, you can find neighbors watching out for other each other.

"We're just always looking out for each other," said Jessica Hook.

She moved to Cary in 2007 from New York. She eventually moved to her small neighborhood where she's the community watch president.

"Somebody goes on vacation. Hey, do you mind watching over my house while I'm away?," Hook said.

She said the extra set of eyes has paid off lately, when there's been car break-ins and burglaries.

"Whether somebody's left their garage open, and somebody slipped in, or a car being left unlocked, that sort of thing. That information goes out pretty quickly, neighborhood communication makes a big difference," Hook explained.

Cary isn't immune to crime or violence. Wednesday, police investigated a shooting on Buck Jones Road, but the level and frequency of crimes aren't on par with neighboring communities. It's helped land Cary at the top spot of Good Hire's list of America's safest cities.

Neighbors like Melissa Richards, who live in the Braeloch Community of Cary said they feel the sense of security.

"I feel really safe in this neighborhood for sure. I run, like for exercise and stuff. And I'd run on the trails locally, like the greenways and stuff. And I always feel really safe," said Richards.

Good Hire, a background check company, uses FBI crime data to determine the safest and least safe cities in the country. The information is supposed to help a hiring organization determine if they may need a criminal background check. The study looked at property, violent, and society crimes, then ranked each city by its rate of offenses per 1,000 people.

"I think that the violence and the issues that we've come across here are usually those that are pretty much everywhere," said Mark Pasquino- Greco.

He moved to Cary in 1998. He's watched the community grow and develop over time. Greco said he's also witnessed the relationship with police officers strengthen.

"Every time we go out and I talk to a police officer, I feel really good about that. It's nice to kind of try to bond with them," he said.

Hook had the same experience.

"I'll call the Cary police and say there's an odd car on our street, and they'll send somebody right away," She said.