[Double Naught Spy]

The perception of small towns as having less crime is just that, a perception. You don't hear about it as much from small towns, historically, because small towns tended to not have news organizations and were often somewhat isolated. That isn't the case these days. We know a lot more about what happens in small towns because they are wired with the rest of the world.

The other aspect is that many small towns don't have law enforcement. Crimes happen without being reported.

I will say this based on a county social worker's insights here. Domestic violence certainly is an issue in small towns, maybe even higher than in large towns. It seems domestic abusers, like meth heads and their labs, feel security in small towns, security to not be bothered for their illegal acts.