For the past two years, El Paso held the title of the safest big city in America handed down from the CQ Press, an independent research firm that studies safety in cities across the U.S. 

"If you look at the crimes in the city, the chances of one of them happening to you are pretty slim," said Mayor John Cook. 

But it's a title not everyone is buying. 

"Not yet, not yet. I think it still needs some work," said Jaime Melendez. 

News blog Borderzine accuses CQ of using old data rankings that don't accurately reflect safety because it doesn't calculate drunk-driving-related deaths. The site claims El Paso crime rates are higher than the national average. 

"It's a numbers game, so of course people will always try to manipulate the numbers to their favor. It's human nature," Cook said. 

But the research firm and FBI achieve the rankings by calculating what they consider violent crimes – murders, rapes, assaults, robberies, and burglaries. 

According to data KFOX14 obtained from the El Paso Police Department, most of those crimes are down. 

"We are still in the ratings because the very violent crimes in our community are still down, down significantly from what other large communities, like us, experience," Cook said. 

While some El Pasoans said the Sun City is fairly safe, they have some lingering concerns. 

"Drunk driving; you see that all the time," Melendez said. 

Cook said there is a very good chance the city will keep its title. 

The mayor contributes low rates to the police department and neighborhood association groups. He said it is something that should make El Pasoans proud.