An apparent homicide in Sammamish this week — the city’s first such incident since incorporation in August 1999 — understandably has some residents concerned. But though few details have been released as of the Reporter’s deadline, it’s unlikely that the rest of the city is in jeopardy.

Most murders aren’t random; the victim usually was known by the person who committed the crime.

So we’re really not surprised by a news release we got this week from an online security system aggregate, Safewise, that named Sammamish as the second safest city in the state of 50 that it analyzed. The organization says the list was generated from a combination of independent research and FBI crime data.

Murders — and crime in general, of course — can happen anywhere. But Sammamish remains today, as it was last week, a safe and secure place, patrolled by a highly competent police force from the county sheriff’s department. That doesn’t lessen the tragedy that occurred to the victim, but it does mean while bad things can happen, they don’t happen here very much or very often.

– Craig Groshart, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter