When you live in a small community, such as Coaldale (pop. 2,245), Bowmanstown (pop. 910), Walnutport (pop. 2,038), Slatington (pop. 4,291) or Brodheadsville (pop. 1,460), you might consider the topic of “gun violence” to be a “big city” problem.

Judging by the attention it gets in places such as Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh, you can’t be blamed for coming to this conclusion, but even in communities as close as Allentown (pop. 120,915) and Bethlehem (pop. 75,461), officials and residents are concerned with the spike in shootings.

Since many of the residents of the five-county area go to these Lehigh Valley cities for shopping, entertainment and other reasons, they wonder: “How safe am I?”

The truth is pretty obvious: No one is immune from violence, and what makes the topic so unsettling is the randomness of when, how and to whom it happens. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, it could be you, and the fallout may not only have dire consequences for you but for your family and loved one, as well.

During the weekend of July 16-18, four were killed and more than two dozen were shot or stabbed, including a 1-year-old boy, in Philadelphia. More than 300 have been killed in gun violence in the city since the start of the year, according to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

Her frustration is palpable as she called the seemingly never-ending body and casualty count ``brazen and appalling.”

Shootings are on the rise in Allentown, and area residents who have always been wary of this nearby city after dark are reconsidering traveling there after the sun goes down.

Just as is occurring in its bigger-city cousins, Allentown is faced with multiple shootings just about every week. One of the most serious occurred in May when three were shot, one of whom died, in the 700 block of Lehigh Street.

The shootings continue despite efforts by police to get illegal firearms off the streets. Officials said 244 guns were removed in Allentown last year, the largest number ever, and a 32% increase over the number confiscated in 2019.

The irony, according to Allentown police officials, is that the number of violent crimes went down about 11% in 2020. These crimes include homicides, nonfatal shootings, rape, robbery, burglary and larceny. Arsons and motor vehicle thefts rose during the year, they said.

The chances of being the victim of a violent crime in Allentown are 1 in 257, while the average in all of Pennsylvania is 1 in 326. In fact, Allentown is considered the 15th safest among Pennsylvania’s 57 cities, according to the FBI.

Unfortunately, perception becomes reality, and my unscientific survey among residents shows that Allentown is still viewed as a violent city, and this perception affects our decision to go there, particularly after the sun sets.

For decades, city officials have been trying to dispel this notion, especially after its renaissance with a done-over downtown area surrounding the PPL building, but when indiscriminate shootings and stabbings occur, and they get widespread attention, it is difficult to convince visitors that they will be safe.

Allentown officials are looking into whether to invest in a multimillion dollar program that would reduce gun violence. Neighborhood advocates say it appears to have reduced shootings in some other major U.S. cities.

One of the prime concerns in Allentown and Bethlehem is the incidence of gang violence. The Community Health Needs Assessments program from major local health care providers identified this source as one that would be addressed by the study program, which has been used effectively in Baltimore and New York City.

When it comes to crime per 1,000 population, as one might imagine Lehigh County (with Allentown as its county seat) leads the way at 10.48, or just a hair more than 1%.

When looked at this way, the numbers become much less scary. The reason is that the high-profile crimes - shootings, stabbings, muggings, rapes, robberies - get the lion’s share of media attention. Police also point out that visitors are rarely the victims of crime in the city.

While Lehigh is at the top of the five-county area statistically, Northampton County at 7.34 does best. In between come Carbon, 8.57; Schuylkill, 9.38, and Monroe, 9.77.

Let me give a shout out to Weissport (pop. 442), which has the lowest crime rate of any area community, according to FBI statistics - 6.3 per 1,000 population. It is closely followed by Walnutport at 6.5.

The question remains as to whether this significant increase in shootings in cities across the nation is a temporary phenomenon brought on by what some analysts call a ``perfect storm” of circumstances - economic loss and social anxiety because of a worldwide pandemic, fewer police and less funding in major cities after protests that called for less funding for police departments, shifts in police resources from neighborhoods to downtown areas because of these protests, and the release of defendants to reduce risk of COVID-19 spread in jails and prisons.

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.