Ever since the release of an article by ADT, a security company, listing the top ‘Most Dangerous Cities in Tennessee’, local police are dismissing the report at purely commercial and misleading.

That article, which was published and broadcast by many media outlets,  named Crossville, Athens, Memphis, Dyersburg, and Knoxville among those with the highest crime rates. It includes both violent and property crimes.

Crossville Police Chief Dave Beaty told a local radio station said that there are too many variables to consider and that the report is designed around the residential population and does not take into account transients coming in that shoplift or steal. He stated that Crossville has crime, but all communities do, and as far as violent crime goes, there hasn’t been a murder investigation in the city for at least five years.

“It’s a private organization gathering numbers and making their own report outside of law enforcement,” said Athens Police Chief Charles Ziegler.

The website HomeSecurityShield.net divided FBI crime data from 2012 and combined violent and property crimes per capita. It claims Athens is the second most dangerous city in the state.

“The FBI and TBI strongly discourage trying to compare cities on raw data,” Ziegler said.

The TBI published updated crime stats earlier this year. In a statement from TBI Director Mark Gwyn, he said many factors outside of law enforcement’s control contribute to the nature of crimes.

In the past 10 years, Athens police investigated 8 homicides. Chattanooga police investigated 19 homicides in 2013 alone.

“We feel like we do have a safe community,” Chief Ziegler said. “You’re never free from crime. But if people will pay attention to their surroundings and be careful, then Athens is a safe place to be.”

Although the number of crimes are always higher in more populated areas, TBI data shows someone would have a 20% chance of being a victim of a crime in Athens versus a 13% chance in Chattanooga and Cleveland.