Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus told city officials Monday night that the city's overall crime rate continues to decline. He credited the quick apprehension of serial criminals, as in the case of thefts from vehicles in January, and cooperation from alert residents.

However, he said a decline in traffic tickets and arrests by uniformed officers is likely because of staffing cuts.

Here are five things you should know from the 2010 Farmington Hills Police Department report:

1. Nebus reported reductions or no change in 16 of the 20 most serious crime categories and record lows in other categories. He said the only murder reported last year – the Sept. 22 death of Lloyd Johnson, with charges filed against his wife, Laura – remains open. Charges were dropped against Laura Johnson five days after her Sept. 24 arrest.
2. Group B crimes – less serious fraud cases, operating a vehicle under the influence, obstructing police, disorderly conduct and others – declined 21 percent, to the lowest total in 17 years.
3. The number of armed robberies – 13 – was the lowest in the city's history, and the number of residential and commercial burglaries – 297 – was the third-lowest recorded since 1986. However, the number of those burglaries that involved forced entry to a home (32.7 percent) or a business (95.7 percent) skyrocketed.
4. Overall calls for service declined to a five-year low of 25,986. Three-quarters of those calls were for the least serious crimes; 12 percent were for the most serious crimes.
5. C.Q. Press, which ranks cities across the nation, reports that Farmington Hills is the 30th-safest city in the nation and the second-safest in Michigan, based on crime data on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft, as reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.