Leelanau County is among the safest places in the country to retire, according to an author who has spent the past 20 years traveling to locations that attract older adults.

Recently released crime statistics seem to make his point.

Author David Savageau lists Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula as the third safest retirement destination of 203 profiled in his book, Retirement Places Rated. Leelanau trailed only Norfolk Lake, Ark., and Brown County, Ind., in terms of personal safety. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and New Port Richey, Fla., are at the bottom of the list.

According to 2006 crime statistics released by county Sheriff Michael F. Oltersdorf, Leelanau did experience a 64 percent increase in the number of calls made to the county 9-1-1 dispatch center in the past five years. However, the number of “index crimes” – the more serious crimes the local department is required to report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation – is down for the same period.

In 2001, some 351 index crimes were reported on the peninsula. They include rape, robbery, assault, breaking and entering, larceny, unlawfully driving away an automobile (UDAA), and arson. That number fell to 319 last year.

Leelanau is “safe” for several reasons, according to Oltersdorf.

“Half of our homes are second homes for people,” the sheriff said. “Crimes are most often committed by people ages 14 to 22. Our population in this age group is shrinking.”

The unique geography of the county, the “pinkie” of the mitten jutting into Lake Michigan, is also a key factor.

“We’re not a stopping-off point between points A and B,” said the sheriff, a former Washtenaw County deputy. “It’s inconvenient (for criminals). There are no large towns in which to congregate.”

Among the index crimes, larcenies in the county rank at the top in terms of frequency. Some 102 incidents were reported in 2006 with Elmwood Township, the most densely populated area in the county, leading the peninsula with 20. Suttons Bay and Leelanau townships followed with 12 apiece. Cleveland Township, a good portion of which is included in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was the lowest with four incidents reported.

There were fewer breaking and entering incidents, which is considered more serious in the eyes of the law, even though several were reported in Glen Arbor and Empire townships late in 2006 and remain unsolved. Of the 63 breaking and entering cases, Elmwood again led the county with 12. Empire Township followed with nine and Glen Arbor Township had seven. The fewest reported were in Centerville (two), and in Leland, Cleveland and Suttons Bay townships (three each).

Among the most infrequent index crimes reported in Leelanau last year were arson (three cases) and UDAAs, in which seven calls were made to the Sheriff’s Department reporting vehicles had been driven away without the owner’s permission. Two such incidents, in Bingham and Leland townships, were cited in the report, while Elmwood, Glen Arbor and Suttons Bay townships had one apiece.

“People here don’t tolerate the things they do in more liberal areas of the state,” the sheriff said. “The No. 1 factor is the caliber of the people who live here. There are smaller communities. People know their neighbors. They watch for each other and are more inclined to call if they see something suspicious. And when something does happen, it’s treated seriously.”

There were 28 alcohol-related automobile crashes in 2006, a statistic that doesn’t include the 100 people charged with operating while intoxicated (OWI). One-quarter of the incidents were recorded in Elmwood Township, and Suttons Bay followed closely with 16. Centerville Township had only one OWI case.

Deputies also responded to 44 reports of domestic violence last year, with 10 of the 11 townships recording at least one case. Elmwood (11) and Leelanau townships (seven) had the most, while none was recorded in Centerville.

The Places Rated book ranked the Door Peninsula, Wisconsin’s own peninsula, fifth among the safest retirement destinations in the county. Traverse City was ranked 42nd safest.