As violence ramps up in the DMV, one Maryland city ranks as one of the nation’s most trusted towns

Bowie ranks as one of America's most trusting towns

As violent crime continues to hit the DMV, a new national study shows that there’s one Maryland city where neighbors do feel safe: Bowie.

BOWIE, Md. - As violent crime continues to hit the DMV, a new national study shows that there’s one Maryland city where neighbors do feel safe.

According to this study, Bowie is the only city in Maryland that made the list of America's most trusted towns.

"I really do feel safe here in Bowie," neighbor Jenise Leach said.

Leach compares it to the South.

"I’m coming from South Carolina and living in where I live, I feel that homeliness and neighborly atmosphere," she told FOX 5.

An atmosphere so relaxed that a survey done by Automate Life, a home tech website, ranks Bowie as number 56 on a list of 60 and the only Maryland town where residents feel confident leaving their doors unlocked at night.

"Through our comprehensive study, we've uncovered that the spirit of community trust is still very much alive in certain American towns," says smart home expert Marty Spargo of AutomateLife.net. "These places stand as testaments to the possibility of a society where people feel secure enough to leave their doors unlocked. It's a remarkable reflection of the local commitment to safety and neighborliness in today's fast-paced world."

"I don’t know if I would leave my door open at night but I do think if you leave your door open, you will be perfectly fine," Bowie resident Frank Uzoma said.

Bowie lands on list of nation's most trusted towns

Despite crime across the DMV, Bowie residents say they feel safe according to a recent study.

Bowie Police Department Acting Chief Dwayne Preston says it’s wonderful to be seen as a safe city but wants everyone to lock their front doors.

"Bowie is not on an island. It is subject to outsiders that will come in and prey on that opportunity knowing that it is a wonderful city," Preston said.

As safe as people may feel Preston says, like D.C. and the rest of the county, they are dealing with a rise in carjackings.

"In all of 2022, we had seven carjackings. To have five in one month is alarming to me," Preston said. "The suspects in these incidents are not people who live in Bowie, they are coming from outside the community."

Preston says most of those carjackings occurred at gas stations shopping centers and apartment complexes.

He says his department is stepping up patrolling, especially in the evenings to help keep the community a safe one.

"You always see them driving around making sure everything is peaceful. They are doing a great job so far from what I’ve seen," Bowie resident Frank Uzoma said.

He’s asking the community to keep doing what they’ve been doing, speak up and report any suspicious crime.