Editing Amherst, New York (section)

== Government ==
=== Crime and public safety ===
[[File:Town of Amherst Police 1.jpg|thumb|Town of Amherst police Ford Taurus|right]]

As of 2014, the Amherst Police Department employed 154 officers and 35 full and part-time civilian employees including the Chief, Assistant Chief, and eight captains.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.amherst.ny.us/govt/govt_dept.asp?dept_id=dept_16&menu_id=menu_00 |title=Town of Amherst, NY Official Website |access-date=November 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124151836/http://www.amherst.ny.us/govt/govt_dept.asp?dept_id=dept_16&menu_id=menu_00 |archive-date=November 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Amherst has been ranked as the "Safest City in America" 1996–1998, 2000–2003, and 2010.{{Citation needed|date=February 2016}} In many other years it ranked in the top 5. The ranking is based on annual reports by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], including crime statistics in six categories: [[murder]], [[rape]], [[robbery]], [[aggravated assault]], [[burglary]], and [[Grand Theft Auto (crime)|auto theft]].

In 2006, Amherst was ranked the second safest city in the United States, after [[Brick Township, New Jersey]].<ref>[http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#25 City Crime Rankings by Population Group<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105102413/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm |date=January 5, 2007 }}</ref> In 2011, it ranked 6th safest out of 400 cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=CQ Press City Crime Rankings: 2010-2011|url=http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2010/citycrime2010-2011.htm|access-date=December 17, 2012}}</ref> Most recently in 2014, Amherst was ranked the #1 Safest City in America with a population between 100,000 and 500,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/us/cities/safest-dangerous-cities.html|title = Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities, 2014}}</ref>