Crime in America 2015 – Law Street

Developing: Shooter Arrested in Charleston Church Shooting

Taelor Bentley — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 17:03:48 +0000

Image courtesy of [Henry de Saussure Copeland via Flickr]

Church members of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina gathered together on Wednesday evening for their weekly prayer meeting. No one would have ever predicted the horrific events that took place later that night when a visitor came into the church and changed many people’s lives forever.

The evening seemed to be going as normal, like every other week. About an hour into the meeting, a man who was sitting in the church the whole time and mingling with others suddenly pulled out a weapon and began to fire, leaving nine people dead. The Pastor of the church and South Carolina state senator Clementa Pinckney, 41, was killed during the shooting. Pinckney was also one of the black community’s spokesmen after the slaying of an unarmed man, Walter Scott, by a North Charleston police officer earlier this year.

The suspect has been identified as Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old white male. He was seen on the church’s surveillance camera and then found on facebook. His Facebook page also carries a photo of him wearing a jacket with patches of the racist-era flags of South Africa and Rhodesia.

Have you seen Dylann Roof? @FBI confirms 21-year-old as #CharlestonShooting suspect. http://t.co/3ijYaNanPM #chsnews pic.twitter.com/6blL5HGMLX

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) June 18, 2015

After the shooting Roof escaped onto the streets of the city’s historic downtown, an area normally overflowing with tourists. According to CBS News police have just brought the suspect into custody this afternoon after finding him in Shelby, North Carolina.

There were 13 people inside the church when the shooting happened–the shooter, the nine people who were killed, and three survivors, according to South Carolina state senator Larry Grooms as told to CNN. Two of the survivors were not harmed. A five-year-old girl reportedly survived the attack by following her grandmother’s instructions to play dead.

Charleston NAACP President Dot Scott told CNN that a woman who survived says Roof told her he was letting her live so that she could tell people what happened. Scott said she heard this from the victims’ family members.

I did not hear this verbatim from the almost victim, I heard it from at least half a dozen other folks that were there and family of the victims. There seems to be no question that this is what the shooter said.

After the shooting 50 or more church and community members gathered together at the Embassy Suites hotel near the church to pray. Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen vowed that they were committed to finding the gunman. He also said,

This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience. It is senseless and unfathomable in today’s society that someone would walk into a church during a prayer meeting and take their lives.

“The only reason someone would walk into a church and shoot people that were praying is hate,” Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said. Events such as these terrify and anger people around the world. Community organizer Christopher Cason told the Associated Press that he felt certain the shootings were racially motivated. “I am very tired of people telling me that I don’t have the right to be angry,” Cason said. “I am very angry right now.”

Cason feels just as many other people do. The hashtags #CharlestonShooting and #PrayersForCharleston have begun trending on Twitter, as tweeters express how they feel about this awful incident.

No words. On our knees with you. #PrayersForCharleston

— Jennie Allen (@JennieAllen) June 18, 2015

Make no mistake, this was terrorism, this was mass murder, this was driven by racial hatred. This is American history. #CharlestonShooting

— . (@Bhattousai) June 18, 2015

if it was black, he’d be a thug if it was a muslim, he’d be terrorist but bc he’s a white gunmen, he’s excused w illness #CharlestonShooting

— semi hiatus julianne (@djagonalley) June 18, 2015

It is evident that everyone is disgusted by this tragedy. I am truly saddened that we are living in a time where there are constantly killings or disturbing incidents happening due to someone’s race. Church is a safe haven for many, and now countless people will worry about their safety every time they step into one. President Obama delivered a statement today about the Charleston shooting on CNN stating, “It is in our power to do something about it.” I hope that people will take what he said and truly realize that we have the power to change our community and change our country.

Taelor Bentley

Taelor is a member of the Hampton University Class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Taelor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Developing: Shooter Arrested in Charleston Church Shooting appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI: Best of the Week

Chelsey D. Goff — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 03:02:42 +0000

ICYMI, check out the most popular articles of the week from Law Street, including the safest and most dangerous metro areas in the county, as well as the Elkhart Four’s case in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

#2 Crime in America 2015: Slideshow of the Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

#3 The Elkhart Four Await Indiana Supreme Court Decision

The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Aaron Hernandez trials have dominated courtroom coverage in recent months. But with guilty convictions being handed down in both cases and Tsarnaev’s sentencing still pending, there’s a case awaiting a decision from the Indiana Supreme Court that deserves America’s attention for a while–the Elkhart Four case. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Slideshow of the Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:04:24 +0000

Image copyright of [Law Street Media]

While crime in the United States has been trending down for quite some time, some metropolitan statistical areas continue to experience relatively high rates of violent crime. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Memphis metro area leads not only the South in violent crime, but also the country as a whole. All of the top five most dangerous metro areas are from the South; none of the top 15 are from the Northeast. Check out the slideshow below to see the rankings of the Top 15 Most Dangerous metro areas across the United States. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

Crime in America 2015: Interactive Map of Crime by Metro Areas

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:03:38 +0000

Image courtesy of [Curtis Perry via Flickr]

Crime across the United States has generally trended down over the years despite what you may gather every time you turn on the evening news. Not sure how your home compares? Check out the interactive map below, which details the latest violent crime statistics from the FBI by metro area. The darker the red, the higher the violent crime rate. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Interactive Map of Crime by Metro Areas appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Northeast Metros

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:02:28 +0000

Image courtesy of [Sean_Marshall via Flickr]

The Vineland-Bridgeton New Jersey metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Northeast United States in 2014. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Vineland-Bridgeton metro had a violent crime rate of 540 per 100,000 people. Bangor, Maine metro ranks at #1 safest in the Northeast with a violent crime rate of 91 per 100,000 people. All of the Top 10 Safest Metros in the Northeast were located in Maine, Pennsylvania, and New York. More than 16 percent of the violent crimes that occurred in the United States overall were committed in the Northeast, which holds nearly 18 percent of the country’s population. Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metro areas across the Northeast. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

#1 Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #42
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 540
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 241
– Aggravated Assault: 270
Population: 158,281

The Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ metro area includes: Cumberland County in New Jersey, as well as the cities of Vineland and Bridgeton.

#2 Springfield, MA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #54
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 522
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 52
– Robbery: 145
– Aggravated Assault: 320
Population: 628,316

The Springfield, MA metro area includes: Hampden and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts, as well as the the city of Springfield.

Springfield, Massachusetts is ranked the #6 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 in 2015.

#3 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #63
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 498
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 36
– Robbery: 198
– Aggravated Assault: 257
Population: 6,036,138

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area includes: the Metropolitan Divisions of Camden, New Jersey; Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, as well as the city of Philadelphia; and Wilmington, Delaware.

#4 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #87
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 444
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 14
– Robbery: 188
– Aggravated Assault: 239
Population: 276,095

The Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ metro area includes: Atlantic County in New Jersey, as well as the cities of Atlantic City and Hammonton.

#5 Barnstable Town, MA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #90
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 436
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 41
– Robbery: 36
– Aggravated Assault: 358
Population: 215,847

The Barnstable Town, MA metro area includes: Barnstable County in Massachusetts, as well as the city of Barnstable.

#6 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #95
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 430
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 21
– Robbery: 154
– Aggravated Assault: 250
Population: 1,135,074

The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagra Falls, NY metro area includes: Erie and Niagara counties in New York, as well as the cities of Buffalo, Cheektowaga Town, and Niagara Falls.

#7 Worcester, MA-CT Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #96
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 422
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 82
– Aggravated Assault: 308
Population: 852,899

The Worcester, MA-CT metro area includes: Windham County, Connecticut; and Worcester County and the city of Worcester in Massachusetts.

#8 Trenton, NJ Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #103
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 411
– Murder: 11
– Rape: 8
– Robbery: 186
– Aggravated Assault: 206
Population: 369,292

The Trenton, NJ metro area includes: Mercer County and the city of Trenton in New Jersey.

#9 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #116
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 390
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 10
– Robbery: 156
– Aggravated Assault: 221
Population: 19,936,617

The New York-Newark-New Jersey, NY-NJ-PA metro area includes: the Metropolitan Divisions of Dutchess County-Putnam County, New York; Nassau County-Suffolk County, New York; Newark, NJ-PA; and New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ, as well as the cities of New York and White Plains in New York; and Newark, Jersey City, New Brunswick, and Lakewood Township in New Jersey.

Newark, New Jersey is ranked the #9 most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 in 2015.

#10 New Haven-Milford, CT Metro Area

Click image to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #122
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 385
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 19
– Robbery: 167
– Aggravated Assault: 195
Population: 808,809

The New Haven-Milford, CT metro area includes: New Haven County in Connecticut, as well as the cities of New Haven and Milford.

New Haven, Connecticut is ranked the #3 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 in 2015.

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

#1 Bangor, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 91
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 15
– Robbery: 37
– Aggravated Assault: 36
Population: 153,530

The Bangor, ME metro area includes: Penobscot County in Maine, as well as the city of Bangor.

#2 State College, PA Metro Area

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Violent Crime: 93
Murder: 0
Rape: 24
Robbery: 15
Aggravated Assault: 54
Population: 155,409

The State College, PA metro area includes: Centre County, Pennsylvania, as well as the city of State College.

#3 Glens Falls, NY Metro Area

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Rate/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 98
– Murder: 0.8
– Rape: 13
– Robbery: 10
– Aggravated Assault: 75
Population: 128,459

The Glens Falls, NY metro area includes: Warren and Washington Counties in New York, as well as city of Glens Falls.

#4 Gettysburg, PA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 99
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 57
Population: 101,443

The Gettysburg, PA metro area includes: Adams County in Pennsylvania, as well as the city of Gettysburg.

#5 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 118
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 12
– Robbery: 15
– Aggravated Assault: 91
Population: 121,663

The Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area includes: Jefferson County in New York, as well as the city of Watertown.

#6 Lewiston-Auburn, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 144
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 43
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 67
Population: 107,469

The Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area includes: Androscoggin County in Maine, as well as the cities of Lewiston and Auburn.

#7 Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 146
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 29
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 81
Population: 518,977

The Portland-South Portland, ME metro area includes: Cumberland, Sagadahoc, and York counties in Maine, as well as the cities of Portland and South Portland.

#8 Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 152
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 23
– Robbery: 53
– Aggravated Assault: 73
Population: 151,646

The Chambersburg-Waynesburo, PA metro area includes: Franklin County in Pennsylvania, as well as the cities of Chambersburg and Waynesboro.

#9 Kingston, NY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 162
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 29
– Aggravated Assault: 114
Population: 181,804

The Kingston, NY metro area includes Ulster County in New York, as well as the city of Kingston.

#10 Elmira, NY Metro Area

Click image to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 170
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 8
– Robbery: 42
– Aggravated Assault: 120
Population: 89,040

The Elmira, NY metro area includes: Chemung County in New York, as well as the city of Elmira.

—

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Northeast Metros appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:01:01 +0000

Image courtesy of [Bob Gaffney via Flickr]

The Memphis, Tennessee metro area tops the list of the South’s most dangerous metros. According to the latest data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, Memphis had a violent crime rate of 993 per 100,000 people. Alternatively, the safest metro area in the South, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, had a violent crime rate of just 78 per 100,000 people. Virginia made the strongest showing with five of its metro areas ranking among the Top 10 Safest in the South. Overall, 41.4 percent of the violent crimes that occurred in the United States were committed in the South. The South is home to more than 37 percent of the nation’s population. Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metro areas across the South. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE SOUTH

#1 Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area

Click image to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #1
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 993
– Murder: 10
– Rape: 46
– Robbery: 257
– Aggravated Assault: 680
Population: 1,347,803

Memphis, Tennessee is ranked the #3 most dangerous city with a population over 200,000.

#2 Jackson, TN Metro Area

Click image to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #2
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 925
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 44
– Robbery: 129
– Aggravated Assault: 744
Population: 130,702

The Jackson, TN metro area includes: Chester, Crockett, and Madison Counties in Tennessee, as well as the city of Jackson.

#3 Hammond, LA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #3
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 875
– Murder: 10
– Rape: 46
– Robbery: 126
– Aggravated Assault: 694
Population: 124,208

The Hammond, LA metro area includes: Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana, as well as the city of Hammond.

#4 Odessa, TX Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #4
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 806
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 39
– Robbery: 120
– Aggravated Assault: 645
Population: 147,448

The Odessa, TX metro area includes: Ector County in Texas, as well as the city of Odessa.

#5 Alexandria, LA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #5
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 794
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 122
– Aggravated Assault: 634
Population: 154,678

The Alexandria, LA metro area includes: Grant and Rapides Parishes in Louisiana, as well as the city of Alexandria.

#6 Lawton, OK Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #11
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 712
– Murder: 10
– Rape: 68
– Robbery: 127
– Aggravated Assault: 507
Population: 133,449

The Lawton, OK metro area includes: Comanche and Cotton Counties in Oklahoma, as well as the city of Lawton.

#7 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #16
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 676
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 41
– Robbery: 176
– Aggravated Assault: 452
Population: 723,132

The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area includes: Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, and Saline Counties in Arkansas, as well as the cities of Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway.

#8 Sumter, SC Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #17
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 672
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 47
– Robbery: 99
– Aggravated Assault: 519
Population: 108,703

The Sumter, SC metro area includes: Sumter County in South Carolina, as well as the city of Sumter.

#9 Lubbock, TX Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #19
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 658
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 39
– Robbery: 130
– Aggravated Assault: 487
Population: 300,769

The Lubbock, TX Metro Area includes: Crosby, Lubbock, and Lynn Counties in Texas, as well as the city of Lubbock.

#10 Albany, GA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #20
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 655
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 142
– Aggravated Assault: 484
Population: 157,365

The Albany, GA metro area includes: Baker, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell, and Worth Counties in Georgia, as well as the city of Albany.

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE SOUTH

#1 Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 78
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 23
– Robbery: 15
Aggravated Assault: 39
Population: 150,699

The Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY metro area includes: Hardin, Larue, and Meade Counties in Kentucky, as well as the city of Elizabethtown.

#2 Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 128
– Murder: 0.8
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 13
– Aggravated Assault: 88
Population: 129,689

The Harrisonburg, VA metro area includes: Rockingham County in Virginia, as well as the city of Harrisonburg.

#3 Owensboro, KY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 138
– Murder: 0.0
– Rape: 48
– Robbery: 45
– Aggravated Assault: 46
Population: 116,530

The Owensboro, KY metro area includes: Davies, Hancock, and McLean counties n Kentucky, as well as the city of Owensboro.

#4 Bowling Green, KY Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 144
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 44
– Robbery: 47
– Aggravated Assault: 53
Population: 163,437

The Bowling Green, KY metro area includes: Allen, Butler, Edmonson, and Warren counties in Kentucky, as well as the city of Bowling Green.

#5 Gainesville, GA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 156
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 37
– Aggravated Assault: 92
Population: 187,290

The Gainesville, GA metro area includes: Alachua and Gilchrist counties in Georgia, as well as the city of Gainesville.

#6 Staunton-Waynesboro, VA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 167
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 44
– Robbery: 21
– Aggravated Assault: 101
Population: 119,067

The Saunton-Waynesboro, VA metro area includes: Augusta County in Virginia as well as the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro.

#7 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 175
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 44
– Robbery: 11
– Aggravated Assault: 119
Population: 179,521

The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford VA metro area includes: Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski counties in Virginia as well as the cities of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford.

#8 The Villages, FL Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 175
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 14
– Robbery: 23
– Aggravated Assault: 136
Population: 104,608

The Villages, FL metro area includes: Sumter county, Florida.

#9 Winchester, VA-WV Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 186
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 46
– Robbery: 31
– Aggravated Assault: 106
Population: 131,881

The Winchester, VA-WV metro area includes: Frederick County and the city of Winchester in Virginia, and Hampshire County and the city of Winchester in West Virginia.

#10 Lynchburg, VA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 191
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 32
– Robbery: 35
– Aggravated Assault: 122
Population: 256,835

The Lynchburg, VA metro area includes: Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell counties in Virginia, as well as the cities of Bedford and Lynchburg

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:00:56 +0000

Image courtesy of [OZinOH via Flickr]

The Springfield, Illinois metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Midwest. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Springfield metro had a rate of 768 violent crimes per 100,000 people. On the other end of the spectrum, the Wausau, Wisconsin metro is the safest in the Midwest with 93 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Of all violent crime across the nation 19.4 percent occurred in the Midwest, which is home to 21.4 percent of the nation’s population. The rankings below detail the violent crime rate for cities and their surrounding metropolitan area across the Midwest. Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metro areas across the South. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE MIDWEST

#1 Springfield, IL Metro Area

Click image to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #7
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 768
– Murder: 17
– Rape: 74
– Robbery: 165
– Aggravated Assault: 512
Population: 212,387

The Springfield, IL metro area includes: Menard and Sangamon counties in Illinois, as well as the city of Springfield.

#2 Saginaw, MI Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #8
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 752
– Murder: 19
– Rape: 75
– Robbery: 96
– Aggravated Assault: 562
Population: 198,026

The Saginaw, MI metro area includes: Saginaw County, Michigan as well as the city of Saginaw.

#3 Flint, MI Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #10
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 721
– Murder: 14
– Rape: 82
– Robbery: 168
– Aggravated Assault: 458
Population: 416,606

The Flint, MI metro area includes: Genesee County, Michigan as well as the city of Flint.

Flint, Michigan missed this year’s rankings, but was ranked the #1 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 last year.

#4 Rockford, IL Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #12
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 711
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 58
– Robbery: 133
– Aggravated Assault: 513
Population: 344,806

The Rockford, IL metro area includes: Boone and Winnebago counties in Illinois, as well as the city of Rockford.

Rockford, Illinois is ranked the #2 most dangerous city with a population under 200,00 in 2015.

#5 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #27
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 587
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 34
– Robbery: 235
– Aggravated Assault: 311
Population: 1,571,468

The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI metro area includes: Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties in Wisconsin, as well as the cities of Milwaukee, Waukesha, and West Allis.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin is ranked the #7 most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 in 2015.

#6 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #34
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 570
– Murder: 10
– Rape: 50
– Robbery: 164
– Aggravated Assault: 346
Population: 4,296,628

The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area includes: the Metropolitan Divisions of Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills in Michigan, as well as the cities of Detroit, Warren, Dearborn, Livonia, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Taylor, and Novi.

Detroit, Michigan is ranked the #1 most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 in 2015.

#7 Wichita, KS Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #35
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 568
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 52
– Robbery: 78
– Aggravated Assault: 434
Population: 637,215

The Wichita, KS metro area includes: Butler, Harvey, Kingman, Sedgwick, and Sumner counties in Kansas, as well as the city of Wichita.

#8 Springfield, MO Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #46
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 533
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 76
– Robbery: 95
– Aggravated Assault: 359
Population: 448,011

The Springfield, MO metro area includes: Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, and Webster counties in Missouri, as well as the city of Springfield.

Springfield, Missouri is ranked the #5 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 in 2015.

#9 Toledo, OH Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #49
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 530
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 34
– Robbery: 173
– Aggravated Assault: 318
Population: 609,674

The Toledo, OH metro area includes: Fulton, Lucas, and Wood counties in Ohio, as well as the city of Toledo.

#10 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #66
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 490
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 103
– Aggravated Assault: 357
Population: 97,510

The Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area includes: Alexander County in Illinois; and Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties in Missouri, as well as the city of Cape Girardeau.

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE MIDWEST

#1 Wausau, WI Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 93
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 13
– Robbery: 13
– Aggravated Assault: 66
Population: 135,041

The Wausau, WI metro area includes: Marathon County, Wisconsin as well as the city of Wausau.

#2 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 123
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 19
– Robbery: 21
– Aggravated Assault: 81
Population: 135,914

The La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area includes: Houston County, Minnesota; and La Crosse County, Wisconsin, as well as the cities of La Crosse and Onalaska.

#3 Appleton, WI Metro Area

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Rates/100,00 people
– Violent Crime: 124
– Murder: 0.4
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 8
– Aggravated Assault: 99
Population: 229,465

The Appleton, WI metro area includes: Calumet and Outagamie counties in Wisconsin, as well as the city of Appleton.

#4 Eau Claire, WI Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 125
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 21
– Robbery: 14
– Aggravated Assault: 89
Population: 164,463

The Eau Claire, WI metro area includes: Chippewa and Eau Claire counties in Wisconsin, as well as the city of Eau Claire.

#5 Sheboygan, WI Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 142
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 101
Population: 114,951

The Sheboygan, WI metro area includes: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin as well as the city of Sheboygan.

#6 Rochester, MN Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 142
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 27
– Aggravated Assault: 85
Population: 211,141

The Rochester, MN metro area includes: Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted, and Wabasha counties in Wisconsin, as well as the city of Rochester.

#7 Ames, IA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime:152
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 52
– Robbery: 16
– Aggravated Assault: 84
Population: 91,897

The Ames, IA metro area includes: Story County, Iowa as well as the city of Ames.

#8 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 159
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 12
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 130
Population: 169,484

The Oshkosh-Neenah, WI metro area includes: Winnebago County, Wisconsin, as well as the cities of Oshkosh and Neenah.

#9 Dubuque, IA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 160
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 39
– Aggravated Assault: 104
Population: 95,753

The Dubuque, IA metro area includes: Dubuque County, Iowa as well as the city of Dubuque.

#10 St. Cloud, MN Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 168
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 47
– Robbery: 26
– Aggravated Assault: 95
Population: 191,531

The St. Cloud, MN metro area includes: Benton and Stearns counties in Minnesota, as well as the city of St. Cloud.

—

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 13:59:28 +0000

Image courtesy of [DCSL via Flickr]

The Anchorage, Alaska metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the West. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Anchorage metro had a rate of 794 violent crimes per 100,000 people. This is compared to the safest metro in the West, Logan, Utah, which had 55 violent crimes per 100,000 people. California topped the list of Most Dangerous Metros with five cities on the list, while Utah had four metro areas in the West’s Top 10 Safest. Of the total number of violent crimes across the country, 23.5 percent occurred in the West, which is home to 23.5 percent of the nation’s population. Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metro areas across the West. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE WEST

#1 Anchorage, AK Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #6
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 794
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 133
– Robbery: 168
– Aggravated Assault: 488
Population: 314,553

The Anchorage, AK metro area includes: Anchorage Municipality and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in Alaska, as well as the city of Anchorage.

#2 Albuquerque, NM Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #9
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 742
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 64
– Robbery: 137
– Aggravated Assault: 536
Population: 902,627

The Albuquerque, NM metro area includes: Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties, as well as the city of Albuquerque.

#3 Stockton-Lodi, CA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #13fa
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 703
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 19
– Robbery: 208
– Aggravated Assault: 469
Population: 708,679

The Stockton-Lodi, CA metro area includes: San Joaquin County as well as the cities of Stockton and Lodi.

#4 Fairbanks, AK Metro Area*

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Overall Rank: #14
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 682
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 101
– Robbery: 118
– Aggravated Assault: 463
Population: 34,741

The Fairbanks, AK metro area includes: the North Star Borough in Alaska as well as the city of Fairbanks.

*A large portion of the North Star Borough is policed by Alaskan State Troopers, which report their data as one agency. As a result, data is only available for a portion of the Fairbanks metropolitan area.

#5 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #15
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 678
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 42
– Robbery: 233
– Aggravated Assault: 397
Population: 2,025,864

The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metro area includes: Clark County in Nevada, as well as the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson

#6 Madera, CA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #18
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 666
– Murder: 9
– Rape: 39
– Robbery: 86
– Aggravated Assault: 532
Population: 152,772

The Madera, CA metro area includes: Madera County in California as well as the city of Madera.

#7 Pueblo, CO Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #21
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 655
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 105
– Robbery: 135
– Aggravated Assault: 412
Population: 162,300

The Pueblo, CO metro area includes: Pueblo County in Colorado as well as the city of Pueblo.

#8 Redding, CA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #22
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 642
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 47
– Robbery: 103
– Aggravated Assault: 487
Population: 179,250

The Redding, CA metro area includes: Shasta County, California as well as the city of Redding.

#9 Merced, CA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #26
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 588
– Murder: 10
– Rape: 30
– Robbery: 87
– Aggravated Assault: 461
Population: 264,498

The Merced, CA metro area includes: Merced County, California as well as the city of Merced.

#10 Bakersfield, CA Metro Area

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Overall Rank: #32
Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 576
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 20
– Robbery: 149
– Aggravated Assault: 400
Population: 862,202

The Bakersfield, CA metro area includes: Kern County, California as well as the city of Bakersfield.

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE WEST

#1 Logan, UT-ID Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 55
– Murder: 0.8
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 0
– Aggravated Assault: 29
Population: 129,858

The Logan, UT-ID metro area includes: Franklin County in Idaho; and Cache County in Utah, as well as the city of Logan.

#2 Provo-Orem, UT Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 70
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 27
– Robbery: 9
Aggravated Assault: 33
Population: 561,483

The Provo-Orem, UT metro area includes: Juab and Utah counties in Utah, as well as the cities of Provo and Orem.

#3 Albany, OR Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 81
– Murder: 0.8
– Rape: 15
– Robbery: 38
– Aggravated Assault: 28
Population: 119,155

The Albany, OR metro area includes: Linn County in Oregon as well as the city of Albany.

#4 Corvallis, OR Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 120
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 15
– Robbery: 29
– Aggravated Assault: 76
Population: 86,952

The Corvallis, OR metro area includes: Benton County, Oregon, as well as the city of Corvallis.

#5 St. George, UT Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 141
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 39
– Robbery: 12
– Aggravated Assault: 89
Population: 147,923

The St. George, UT metro area includes: Washington County in Utah as well as the city of St. George.

#6 Idaho Falls, ID Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 159
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 35
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 104
Population: 137,561

The Idaho Falls, ID metro area includes: Bonneville, Butte, and Jefferson counties in Idaho, as well as the city of Idaho Falls.

#7 Grants Pass, OR Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 164
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 13
– Robbery: 45
– Aggravated Assault: 102
Population: 83,162

The Grants Pass, OR metro area includes: Josephine County, Oregon as well as the city of Grants Pass.

#8 Ogden-Clearfield, UT Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 164
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 53
– Robbery: 30
– Aggravated Assault: 80
Population: 620,648

The Ogden-Clearfield, UT metro area includes: Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties in Utah, as well as the cities of Ogden and Clearfield.

# 9 Lewiston, ID-WA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 183
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 18
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 131
Population: 61,820

The Lewiston, ID-WA metro area includes: Includes Nez Perce County in Idaho as well as the city of Lewiston; and Asotin County, Washington.

#10 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area

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Rates/100,000 people
– Violent Crime: 194
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 10
– Robbery: 72
– Aggravated Assault: 107
Population: 840,678

The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area includes: Includes Ventura County, California, as well as the cities of Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, and Camarillo.

—

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West appeared first on Law Street.

What You Need to Know About the FBI’s Latest Crime Statistics

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 13:30:56 +0000

Image courtesy of [Ben R via Flickr]

The FBI released its Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report last week indicating that violent crime in the United States is down 4.6 percent overall. The report, which marks the first FBI statistics for the 2014 calendar year, compares crime levels from January to June to the same period in 2013. The charts below highlight five important takeaways from the FBI’s report. Click here to read Law how the Top 10 Safest and Most Dangerous Cities fared with the latest data.

1. Crime is Down… Again

Despite a slight uptick in 2012, violent crime levels have been decreasing for years, and the preliminary numbers for 2014 are no exception. Overall violent crime was down 4.6 percent in the first six months of last year relative to the first six months of 2013. This downward trend in violent crime is not limited to the first six months of the year; annual statistics have shown a decrease in violent crime in six of the last seven years. The full year statistics for 2013 indicate that violent crime was down 18 percent when compared to the level in 2000.

The chart below details the change in violent crime from January to June for the past seven years. Note: each bar represents a percent change relative to the first six months of the previous year.

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2. Better Data on Rape in America

Starting January 1, 2013, the FBI began using a new definition of rape to make the measure more inclusive and as a result more representative of the crimes that occur. Due to the nature of the UCR program, where cities and states voluntarily report their crime statistics to the FBI, it is up to individual law enforcement agencies set a time frame for adopting new procedures. It typically takes several years before a change in the reporting system is universally adapted by reporting agencies.

The preliminary semiannual report only includes agencies with three to six months of comparable data in two consecutive years. This means that the report does not cover the details of every agency in the United States, particularly agencies that recently transitioned to the new rape definition in 2014, as comparable data is not available. A better understanding of how many agencies use the new definition we be available once all full-year data for 2014 is submitted to the FBI.

The chart below indicates the total number of agencies that report using the revised and legacy definitions of rape as well as the the share of the population that they cover. Note: because this graphic is only based on agencies included in the recent report, the total number of agencies and total population is lower than it would be for the entire United States.

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3. Violent Crime Fell Across Nearly All Categories

With the exception of the legacy definition of rape as discussed above, crime numbers decreased for every category of violent crime. The number of robberies experienced the steepest decline, falling more than ten percent relative to the first six months of 2013. Agencies using the revised definition of rape also had a significant decrease, though those numbers only cover about 55 percent of the population in this report. The total number of murders also had a notable decrease, going down six percent or more for the second year in a row.

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4. Midwestern Crime is Dropping Faster Than the Rest of the Nation

According to the recent FBI report, violent crime decreased in every region during the first six months of 2014. The Midwest saw the largest decline at -7.6 percent, followed by the Northeast at -6.6 percent, then the South at -3 percent, ending with the West at -2.7 percent. The chart below indicates the regions defined by the FBI and the change in their violent crime levels.

Source: FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report 2014, Table 2

5. Crime Dropped Across Every Population Group

The recent FBI report indicates that violent crime went down in every single population grouping. Led by cities with populations of 10,000 people or fewer, which saw a 6.7 percent decrease in overall violent crime and a 17.8 percent drop in murders. The chart below shows the change in violent crime for each of the eight population groupings used by the FBI as well as the number of law enforcement agencies in each grouping and their population coverage.

Create infographics

Kevin Rizzo

The post What You Need to Know About the FBI’s Latest Crime Statistics appeared first on Law Street.

Modernizing American Crime Stats: A Look Inside the FBI’s Data Division

Kevin Rizzo — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 15:30:56 +0000

Featured image courtesy of [Kevin Rizzo/Law Street Media]

Tucked into the hills of Clarksburg, West Virginia sits one of the FBI’s largest and most secure facilities. The 1,000-acre technology campus holds the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS), providing critical support services to American law enforcement across the country.

When arriving at the Clarksburg complex the heightened level of security is easy to notice. Visitors are background checked in advance and escorted while on the property. Although walls do not surround the complex, FBI agents patrol its grounds on ATVs. Visitors trade their drivers license for a temporary ID in order to to pass through the security checkpoint at the entrance.

The 500,000-square-foot facility in the center spans the length of nearly three football fields, housing roughly 2,600 employees. Also inside on the property is a daycare center, a 600-seat cafeteria, a fitness center, and even a power plant.

So what exactly does the FBI do there, and why does it need such security?

Not only does it house the largest division within the FBI, underneath the main office building is one of the FBI’s most important data centers. It is the home of the Law Enforcement Records Management System, which includes the largest fingerprint repository in the world, the FBI’s centralized criminal records database, the National Instant Background Check System, and several technology services for law enforcement across the country. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a database containing over 11 million records of criminal justice information, is used millions of times each day by American law enforcement. Whether you are buying a gun, having your background checked, or simply being pulled over by a police officer, the CJIS Division’s servers are contacted millions of times daily. Considering the importance of the information stored there and the services provided by CJIS, the security at the Clarksburg complex seems understandable.

Underneath this courtyard sits the FBI’s 100,000-square-foot data center. It provides 24/7 support to law enforcement across the United States. Courtesy of Law Street Media.

Beyond supporting the internal operations of American law enforcement, the West Virginia campus is also home to one of the FBI’s most important public facing services: the nation’s crime statistics.

Inside the Uniform Crime Report

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program is tasked with collecting and publishing crime statistics for nearly every law enforcement agency across the country. At its inception in 1930, the program gathered statistics from 400 cities representing roughly 20 million Americans. Over time the program expanded and today it covers more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies representing 98 percent of Americans. Each year the UCR Program publishes the Crime in the United States publication, which details the country’s crime statistics on a national, state, and local level. The report is arguably the most talked about FBI publication each year, providing standardized crime statistics for agencies across the country.

Throughout its existence, the Program has undergone several important changes and improvements, but few are as extensive and as significant as the recent updates to the UCR system. From updating crime definitions to the adaptation of an entirely new system for collecting and evaluating data, the UCR is rapidly modernizing, and it is long overdue.

“We are running on 1970s technology,” said Amy Blasher, the Unit Chief of the Crime Statistics Management Unit within the CJIS. “We are in the middle of a major redesign, overhaul, [for a] brand new UCR system.” Historically, the process has been done manually, by reviewing stacks of paper submitted by law enforcement agencies, but the new system aims to eliminate paper reports altogether. Starting in July 2013, the UCR Program required all reporting agencies to begin submitting statistics in a computerized format.

The recent changes to the UCR program aim to automate much of the quality checking process, create more comprehensive data, reduce the use of paper, and ultimately decrease the amount of time it takes for information to be publicly available. “What the new system is going to allow us to do is have a public facing piece that will be able to push the data out from the states,” Blasher said. And in doing so people “will be able to go in more real time and see the data.”

The creation of each publication is a very intensive process, involving constant interaction with reporting agencies, reviewing all data to ensure quality, and collaboration among UCR staff. The FBI receives most of the statistics from state UCR agencies that collect the information from individual agencies. Currently, 46 states have a centralized UCR program. Agencies in the remaining four states report to the FBI directly. Each month the UCR program compiles and reviews each state’s data, but the statistics are not publicly available until the end of the following year. In addition to collecting the statistics, the UCR Program also creates annual reports for law enforcement and the public. The Multimedia Publications Group ensures that the information is effectively presented to the public by highlighting key findings and putting them in terms that are easy to understand.

Current Problems

The statistics provided by the Uniform Crime Reporting Program do have their limitations. The Summary Reporting System, which is used in the annual report, has been criticized for providing incomplete data.The Summary system’s hierarchy rule requires only the most significant offense to be recorded. The Summary system only tracks eight specific crimes that are grouped into two categories, violent crimes and property crimes. Statistics only detail the number of crimes known to law enforcement and only provide limited information about the nature of each offense. Law enforcement agencies and state UCR programs provide statistics voluntarily, as there is no federal reporting requirement for agencies. While the UCR Program audits state programs every three years, individual agency audits are voluntarily and cannot result in any form of punishment if statistics are inaccurate or incomplete. This essentially means that reporting practices are up to the discretion of each agency.

Despite its drawbacks, the UCR remains the most definitive source of crime information available. According to statistician and UCR Unit Chief Dr. Samuel Berhanu, “it is one of the richest data sets in this country,” and is one of the longest standing series of crime data in the entire world. Throughout the UCR Program’s lifespan, the FBI has a history of responding to criticism and improving its statistics. Recently, updates to the UCR are starting to happen at a much faster rate. As demand for more accurate and more frequent statistics grows, the FBI has responded with better definitions and new procedures that are more efficient.

One of most notable improvements is the redefinition of rape, which the Bureau expanded to record the crime more accurately. Many law enforcement agencies began using the new definition in January 2013, and the most recent Crime in the United States publication, released in November, marks the first full year statistics with the updated definition.

Further changes to the UCR Program include the addition of human trafficking and animal cruelty to the list of crimes in the Summary Reporting System. Significant expansions of hate crime definitions and reporting codes have also started to take effect. The FBI will now track hate crimes with gender and gender identity biases, seven new religious biases, and an anti-Arab bias. The new and improved definitions will allow law enforcement and the public to understand the nature of crime in the United States in unprecedented ways.

Even more changes are likely to come, as new recommendations are making their way through the FBI. There are two ways that changes to the UCR can occur: by legislation from Congress or internally through CJIS’ Advisory Policy Board (APB). The APB is divided into regional working groups that include representatives from states and localities. Changes from the APB are generally preferred by the FBI because the recommendations generally have law enforcement buy in.

The Advisory Policy Board has its second annual meeting this month where it will likely discuss several policy changes and additions. Two upcoming recommendations are the addition of cyberspace as an offense location and the creation of new policies and definitions for domestic abuse. Changes through the APB help ensure that law enforcement buys into the new procedures and that the changes reflect existing issues with reporting.

Although the UCR Program is undergoing several changes–both in terms of what is collected and how it is processed–important obstacles and limitations remain. When changes to the reporting system occur it typically takes a long time for individual agencies to implement them. In the meantime, inconsistencies exist between different states and even local agencies, making it harder to identify and interpret trends. Similarly, many criticize the available amount of information provided by the Summary Reporting System, as supplemental data is often limited and sometimes unavailable.

The Solution: NIBRS

Criticism of the Summary Reporting System is longstanding, as scholars, the media, and the public have called for more accurate and informative statistics, but what you may not know is that a solution for many of these issues already exists.

The FBI approved the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 1991, and since then several law enforcement agencies have begun to implement the new comprehensive reporting system. The fundamental goal of the NIBRS is to collect a wide variety of data about each individual incident. NIBRS eliminated the hierarchy rule and collects information about each crime that occurs, even if they all happen at once. It also collects data about the relationship between the victim and the offender, the location of the crime, the time of day, whether a weapon was used, and much more. While the Summary System only uses nine categories for offenses, NIBRS has 22 offense categories with 46 specific crimes. As Blasher explains, “In Summary you know a crime occurred, in NIBRS you know a crime occurred, how it occurred, and a lot more of the specifics.”

However, despite the significant improvements that NIBRS can provide, it has faced its own set of obstacles. The most notable challenge is the fact that NIBRS has not been adopted by most law enforcement agencies. According to the 2012 NIBRS publication, there are 6,115 agencies that report statistics using the new system accounting for roughly 33 percent of all law enforcement agencies. Because so few agencies use NIBRS, the data that the system provides cannot provide any conclusions about trends on a national or state level.

The FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has acknowledged the current limitations of the NIBRS data, and in 2012, they announced a plan to expand the system to make its findings nationally significant. A study conducted by the BJS found that a nationally representative sample could exist if the NIBRS program spread to 400 additional agencies. This means that if the additional agencies started using the new system then national trends could be identified without universal implementation of NIBRS. The National Crime Statistics Exchange (NCS-X) initiative sought to reach that goal by providing resources and assessments to help the selected agencies adopt the system.

The problem with NIBRS gets to a much larger issue with crime statistics on a national level, and it is not a problem with the FBI. Participation in the Uniform Crime Report is a voluntary decision made by individual agencies, and individual agencies set their own time frame for implementing new changes. Although the FBI works with agencies to implement changes, it is limited by the ability of each agency to comply with the new standards. There have been some notable advancements, as cities like Seattle have adapted NIBRS and created publications to help other agencies follow suit; however, a lot of work remains to bring agencies up to pace and to get the public the full data picture that it demands.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Modernizing American Crime Stats: A Look Inside the FBI’s Data Division appeared first on Law Street.

Weird Arrests of the Week

Anneliese Mahoney — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 16:34:05 +0000

Image courtesy of [H. Michael Karshis via Flickr]

This was a fun week for weird arrests–full of drugs, more drugs, and drunk escorts. Read on to see the top five strangest and weird arrests of the week.

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Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Weird Arrests of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI: Best of the Week

Chelsey D. Goff — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 16:11:03 +0000

Law Street’s top three articles last week covered a whole range of hot topics. Don’t worry if you ate too much turkey and couldn’t keep your eyes open to read them though, we’ve got you covered here. The Crime in America Team’s coverage of the Safest and Most Dangerous States in the nation took the top spot; Noel Diem delved into the complicated world of school dress codes and their effects on students for article number two; and Allison Dawson wrote the third most popular post of the week with a look into the University of Virginia’s move to shut down fraternities while it investigates rape allegations published in Rolling Stone. ICYMI, here are the top three stores of the week from Law Street.

#1 Slideshow: America’s Safest & Most Dangerous States 2015

#2 School Dress Codes: Are Yoga Pants Really the Problem?

Anyone who has been inside of a high school in the last five years has seen some interesting fashion choices by today’s teenagers. Teachers are expected to teach to the tests, teach students how to survive in the real world, personalize the curriculum for IEP students of all levels, and still have their work graded within twenty-four hours. And now? Some districts are adding another dimension: dress code enforcement. Dress codes are an important part of school culture, as they sometimes dictate whether or not a student can even attend class. Read full article here.

#3 University of Virginia Suspends All Fraternities After Rape Allegations

You might have missed it with all the huge news events within the last week, but there was aRolling Stone article published last week about a young woman who was the victim of a heinous crime. Seven (yes, SEVEN) young men at a fraternity party raped the woman over a three-hour period. The rape took place two years ago, but now that the story is out UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan has decided to shut down all fraternities until at least January 9, 2015. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2015

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 17:00:12 +0000

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

Alaska is the most dangerous state in the nation according to the latest violent crime data from the FBI. With an increase in violent crime rate from 603 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 640 in 2013–the most recent year for which the FBI provides data–Alaska moved into the number one spot, followed by New Mexico (613) and Nevada (603). Law Street’s second annual slideshow of the Safest and Most Dangerous States ranks all 50 states from most dangerous to safest and details the violent crime statistics for every city in the country with a reported population of 25,000 or more. Each state’s qualifying cities are listed from highest to lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000 people, which is comprised of murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

Go directly to your state: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

Alaska: #1 Most Dangerous State | 640 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

Courtesy of Travis via Flickr.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10

Kevin Rizzo — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 12:30:21 +0000

Image courtesy of [Sanjay Parekh via Flickr]

The FBI’s recent crime statistics reveal a notable downward trend in violent crime across the United States. While most cities’s crime rates have followed suit, Stockton, California and Atlanta are two standouts that showed significant drops in violent crime. According to the FBI, Atlanta’s violent crime decreased by more than 11 percent last year, and in Stockton that decrease was nearly 22 percent.

Last year, Stockton and Atlanta had two of the highest violent crime rates per 100,000 people in the country, ranking fifth and ninth on Law Street’s list of Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000. But when the FBI released the most recent data, both cities dropped out of the list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities. This begs the question: how did these cities manage to decrease their crime levels well beyond the national average?

Stockton

In 2012, the city of Stockton filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, prior to Detroit’s filing in 2013. In the years leading up to its filing, Stockton implemented steep budget cuts to try and get its financial house in order. The police department faced some of the largest cuts, which led to a significant drop in the number of officers on the beat. In 2008, the department budgeted for 441 officers, but by 2012 the total number fell to 331. That year, the violent crime rate reached an 18-year high, with 1,547 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The department’s decreasing budget and growing pension concerns among officers made it difficult both to hire new officers and to retain existing ones.

The chart below shows the change in Stockton’s violent crime rate by category.

The decrease last year brought Stockton’s violent crime rate to the lowest level that the city has seen since 1999. The primary focus of the Stockton Police Department has been to crack down on gangs and illegal guns while helping prevent youth from turning to crime and violence. An important aspect of the police department’s goal is the use of Operation Ceasefire, which reaches out to at-risk youth to prevent gun violence and provide alternatives to joining gangs. Last year Stockton began implementing the “Marshall Plan” for reducing crime, which is a community-wide effort. Eric Jones, Stockton’s Chief of Police, wants the city to prioritize gun violence in order to reduce crime. Jones told KCRA Sacramento, “First and foremost my focus is on guns and gangs, and the Ceasefire model, which is the stop the violence model, I think is extremely important.”

Stockton also reached a significant milestone in its number of police officers last year, as expanding its police force remains a key goal for the city. When the city hired its 346th police officer, the department became eligible for a federal cops grant that will fund the addition of 17 more officers.

Although preliminary statistics indicate that 2014 will have higher crime levels than last year, it will likely remain well below the peak in 2012. As the Stockton police force begins to stabilize after years of budget cuts, things may finally be looking up for the city and its violent crime rate.

Atlanta

The violent crime rate in Atlanta decreased for the second year in a row according to the most recent FBI statistics. A 16.6 percent decrease in the number of aggravated assaults was the largest driver of last year’s improvement. Atlanta’s recent violent crime reductions accompany an 18 percent decline in total crime since 2009, which fits into an even larger trend since the early 90s.

Atlanta’s violent crime rate peaked in 1993, which saw 4,041 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Last year, the city’s violent crime rate was 1,223 crimes per 100,000, reflecting a decline of nearly 70 percent. With the exception of recent increases in 2010 and 2011, violent crime in Atlanta has been trending downward for the last 20 years.

The chart below shows how Atlanta’s violent crime rate decreased over time.

Recent improvements to Atlanta’s police force and crime prevention methods may help continue the city’s downward trend in the future. Last year, the Atlanta police department reached a longstanding milestone of hiring 2,000 police officers. In 1977 Bill Campbell, the mayor at the time, announced the goal of “2,000 by 2000,” and it has since been an objective for all subsequent mayors.

Atlanta’s police department has also been making notable changes in the way it uses technology. From the addition of 1,400 surveillance cameras to the use of new crime statistics software, the police department has been working to improve the way it fights crime. One of the most notable improvements has been the use of“PredPol” software, which predicts areas where crimes are likely to occur next. The police department began testing the new program on two zones last summer, and after the results were deemed successful department-wide implementation began in November 2013. Mayor Kasim Reed praised the new program in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. He noted Atlanta’s recent success in decreasing violent crime and argued, “In the future, police will perfect the use of predictive analytics to thwart crimes before they occur.”

Kevin Rizzo

The post Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10 appeared first on Law Street.

Weird Arrests of the Week

Anneliese Mahoney — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:01:34 +0000

Image courtesy of [Jamison Wieser via Flickr]

In addition to the big news stories of the week–Obama’s immigration press conference, the backlash against Bill Cosby, and the terrifying fact that we may run out of chocolate at some point–we here at Law Street like to bring you some of the more ridiculous crime stories that you might have missed. Click through the slideshow below to see the top weird arrests of the week.

[SlideDeck2 id=29211 ress=1]

Anneliese Mahoney

The post Weird Arrests of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI: Best of the Week

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 12:00:15 +0000

From coast to coast, crime was king last week. Law Street released its Crime in America 2015 coverage, which ranked America’s Safest and Most Dangerous Cities. The rankings, based on the FBI’s latest city crime data released on the same day, featured 30 America cities that have varying degrees of success combating violent crime. Violent crime across the country is on the decline, but that isn’t true of each individual city. ICYMI, check out the rankings below to see where you city falls on the spectrum.

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

#2 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

#3 Crime in America 2015: Full Coverage

With the vast majority of Americans living in cities and suburbs, safety is a major concern across the country. Each city has a unique set of challenges to address in order to provide security to its residents, and the results vary widely. Law Street Media’s Crime in America 2015 coverage is the first comprehensive look at the FBI’s latest crime statistics for every American city with a population over 100,000 people. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America, Irvine the Safest

Anneliese Mahoney — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:00:28 +0000

Image courtesy of [Geoff Llerena via Flickr]

For the second year in a row, Detroit, Michigan and Irvine, California are the Most Dangerous and Safest cities in the America, respectively. Law Street’s comprehensive analysis of the FBI’s latest Uniform Crime Report allowed us to rank the safest and the most dangerous big cities in the United States.

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities with populations over 200,000.

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities with populations under 200,000.

Click here to see the Top 10 Safest Cities with populations over 200,000.

Detroit has a violent crime rate of 2,072 per 100,000 people; Irvine has a violent crime rate of 48 per 100,000 people. Looking at those statistics alone begs the question: how could two sizable cities in the same country be so radically different?

At the end of the day it comes down to pretty much one thing: the economy. While there are significantly more factors that need to be taken into consideration when trying to figure out why one city is so crime-ridden and another so relatively safe, a lot of it boils down to the economy.

Detroit currently has an unemployment rate of 14.9 percent; Irvine’s is about 4 percent. Keep in mind that the national unemployment rate has dropped to 5.8 percent, which means that while Irvine is doing pretty well, Detroit is doing very, very poorly. In Detroit, 38.1 percent of the population is below the poverty line, in Irvine it’s just 11.4 percent.

In some ways, it seems that the two cities are from two different times in American history. Detroit was once a booming manufacturing city, home of the auto industry. But the problem is that it was really only the home of the auto industry. And when it first took on that characteristic, the process required way more people to make a car than it does now. There’s also the issue of foreign automakers surpassing American brands, and the 2008 financial collapse. Long, sad story short, Detroit has not been able to subsist on just one industry for a very long time, and it shows.

Compare that to Irvine, which in many ways is the epitome of the way our economy looks now. It’s smack dab in the middle of Southern California’s answer to Silicon Valley, with a heavy concentration on technology and startup culture. Irvine is a city that has taken advantage of the new industries providing jobs in the American market, much like Detroit did, but half a century later.

Detroit’s downfall is more troubling than just the economic woes–when the city started to decline and see mass unemployment, many of those who had the resources to do so got out. Over the last decade, Detroit’s population has fallen by approximately a quarter. It’s turned into a vicious cycle–people who have the resources to leave Detroit do so because of its poor economic condition and crime. Those with financial resources leaving make the city’s economy and budget problems worse, and they can’t pay for the kind of revitalization Detroit would need, or a police force to get the crime under control. So more people leave, and the cycle continues.

Put very simply, Irvine is safer because it has the money coming in to be that way. In addition to its regular police force, the multiple universities located within city limits have their own police forces, leading to even more of a focus on safety. There are a lot of things that separate Detroit and Irvine, and makes one clock in as the most dangerous city in the country and the other the safest. At the end of the day one of the most convincing is the economy.

Anneliese Mahoney

The post Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America, Irvine the Safest appeared first on Law Street.

Flint and Chicago Are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings

Anneliese Mahoney — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:31:33 +0000

Image courtesy of [Michigan Municipal League via Flickr]

If you’ve been following Law Street’s Crime in America 2015 city crime rankings you might have one big question: where are Flint and Chicago? Flint, Michigan was the #1 Most Dangerous City with a population under 200,000 last year, and preliminary data from the FBI indicated that it would remain so this time around, and reporting on Chicago’s violent crime pervades American media. So where are Flint and Chicago on these lists?

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS UNDER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

First let’s look at Flint. It’s not because it isn’t still really dangerous–it very much is. It comes down to its population, though, and if the city had just 59 more residents it would have easily maintained its #1 Most Dangerous City ranking over Little Rock, Arkansas. According to the FBI, Flint’s population decreased by 1,691 last year, putting the city just 59 residents shy of the 100,000-person threshold that Law Street uses to rank the most dangerous mid-sized cities.

Flint has a violent crime rate of 1,908 per 100,000 people, which far exceeds Little Rock’s violent crime rate of 1,407. Flint’s murder rate clocks in at 48 per 100,000, while Little Rock is only at 18 per 100,000. Flint’s population statistics speak for themselves as well: the median household income is just $26,339, and almost 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

If Flint had those 59 additional people it would definitely be the #1 Most Dangerous City in America–but that does not mean things aren’t getting better there. They absolutely are; this year’s crime statistics saw a dramatic decrease in violent crime in the city. Last year, Flint had a violent crime rate of 2,729 per 100,000 people, which means that its overall rate has dropped 30 percent. The murder rate dropped by quite a bit too, from about 62 per 100,000 people to 48 per 100,000 people. So while Flint is still incredibly dangerous, things are getting better there, just slowly.

Now to Chicago–another notable exception from the list of Most Dangerous Cities. The answer here is fairly simple. Chicago isn’t included in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report from which our data is curated. According to the FBI, Chicago under-reports its crime data, so the numbers are simply missing from the FBI report, making it impossible to rank the Windy City in a uniform way with its like-size counterparts.

While Law Street’s statistics are definitive and it’s interesting to look at what cities make the list, it’s also very interesting to see which cities are missing. Flint and Chicago are two notable examples for two very different reasons.

Anneliese Mahoney

The post Flint and Chicago Are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:01:49 +0000

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

Rankings

Safest and Most Dangerous States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

Metro Area Rankings

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the Midwest

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the Northeast

Safest and most Dangerous Metro Areas in the South

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the West

Interactive Dashboard

Crime Trends in America’s Largest Cities

CHARTS AND DATA

Interactive Map: Crime by Metro Areas

Interactive Map: Is Your City Getting Safer or More Dangerous?

Nearly All Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Report Drops in Violent Crime

Paterson, NJ and Richmond, CA Report Major Drops in Violent Crime

Not All of America’s Safest Cities Followed Trend of Declining Crime

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America, Irvine the Safest

Flint and Chicago are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings

Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 in 2015: By the Numbers

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 in 2015: By the Numbers

Top 10 Safest Cities in 2015: By the Numbers

2013
Uniform Crime Report

2012
Uniform Crime Report

2011
Uniform Crime Report

NOTES

Chelsey D. Goff

The post Crime in America 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:53 +0000

Image courtesy of [Nicolas Henderson via Flickr]

Little Rock, Arkansas is the #1 Most Dangerous City in the United States with a population under 200,000 according to data released today by the FBI. Overall violent crime in Little Rock increased nearly seven percent over the course of 2013–the latest year for which the FBI has published data. Rockford, Illinois and New Haven, Connecticut switched positions this year to #2 and #3, respectively. Flint, Michigan, last year’s #1 Most Dangerous City, is not ranked this year as its population according to the FBI dropped 59 people below the 100,000-person threshold to rank. Look at the slideshow below to see the full list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America under 200,000, and click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES UNDER 200,000 IN SINGLE-PAGE FORMAT.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

[SlideDeck2 id=28347 ress=1 proportional=false]

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Chelsey Goff, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here for FBI data on each of the cities ranked above. Click here for all Law Street crime data.

Click here for additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology.

Sources:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2013.

U.S. Census Bureau: Median household income, measured 2007-2011.

U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty, measured 2008-2012.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:28 +0000

Image courtesy of [Dan DeLuca via Flickr]

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America for the second year in a row, according to data released today by the FBI. Detroit maintains this ranking despite an overall violent crime decrease of 2.5 percent over the course of 2013, the latest year for which the FBI has released crime statistics. Oakland also maintained its #2 ranking for the second year in a row, followed by Memphis, which moved to #3 after its rank at #4 last year. Look at the slideshow below to see the full list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America, and click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES OVER 200,000 IN SINGLE-PAGE FORMAT.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS UNDER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

[SlideDeck2 id=28300 ress=1 proportional=false]

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Chelsey Goff, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here for additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology.

Sources:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2013.

U.S. Census Bureau: Median household income, measured 2007-2011.

U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty, measured 2008-2012.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

Crime Ranking Methodology

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:19 +0000

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

Law Street’s Crime Team used the FBI’s four major violent crime categories–murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and forcible rapes–to create a standard measure of violent-crimes-per-100,000 people among all cities over 100,000 people reporting crime data to the FBI. This allows year-to-year and city-to-city comparisons. To derive the ratio, the total number of violent crimes reported to the FBI is divided by the city’s population, with the result then multiplied by 100,000. The formula for this calculation is shown below. Crime rankings were further broken down by population, with 200,000 used as the dividing point.

Violent Crime Rate = (Total Violent Crime in a City/City Population) x 100,000

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post Crime Ranking Methodology appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:15 +0000

Image courtesy of [Infratec via Wikipedia]

Irvine, California is the Safest City in the United States for the second year in a row, according to data released today by the FBI. The 235,000-person city experienced a five percent decrease in violent crime throughout 2013–the most recent year for which the FBI has provided data. Gilbert, Arizona also maintained its rank at #2, followed by Fremont, California, which moved up to #3 from #4 last year. Look at the slideshow below to see the full list of Top 10 Safest Cities in the United States, and click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES IN SINGLE-PAGE FORMAT.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS UNDER 200,000.

[SlideDeck2 id=28366 ress=1 proportional=false]

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Chelsey Goff, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here for additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology.

Sources:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2013.

U.S. Census Bureau: Median household income, measured 2007-2011.

U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty, measured 2008-2012.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:00:08 +0000

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

The following is the full text of the FBI’s disclaimer about the use of its Uniform Crime Reports. The disclaimer appears here in its entirety.

Since 1930, participating local, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies have voluntarily provided the Nation with a reliable set of crime statistics through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The FBI, which administers the program, periodically releases the crime statistics to the public.Uniform Crime Report Ranking Disclaimer is from the FBI.

Usefulness of UCR Data

UCR crime statistics are used in many ways and serve many purposes. They provide law enforcement with data for use in budget formulation, planning, resource allocation, assessment of police operations, etc., to help address the crime problem at various levels. Chambers of commerce and tourism agencies examine these data to see how they impact the particular geographic jurisdictions they represent. Criminal justice researchers study the nature, cause, and movement of crime over time. Legislators draft anti-crime measures using the research findings and recommendations of law enforcement administrators, planners, and public and private entities concerned with the problem of crime. The news media use the crime statistics provided by the UCR Program to inform the public about the state of crime.

Pitfalls of Ranking

UCR data are sometimes used to compile rankings of individual jurisdictions and institutions of higher learning. These incomplete analyses have often created misleading perceptions which adversely affect geographic entities and their residents. For this reason, the FBI has a long-standing policy against ranking participating law enforcement agencies on the basis of crime data alone. Despite repeated warnings against these practices, some data users continue to challenge and misunderstand this position.

Data users should not rank locales because there are many factors that cause the nature and type of crime to vary from place to place. UCR statistics include only jurisdictional population figures along with reported crime, clearance, or arrest data. Rankings ignore the uniqueness of each locale. Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

Population density and degree of urbanization.
Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration.
Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and
transient factors.
Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability.
Modes of transportation and highway systems.
Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics.
Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.
Climate.
Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.
Administrative and investigative emphases on law enforcement.
Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational).
Citizens’ attitudes toward crime.
Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

Ranking agencies based solely on UCR data has serious implications. For example, if a user wants to measure the effectiveness of a law enforcement agency, these measurements are not available. As a substitute, a user might list UCR clearance rates, rank them by agency, and attempt to infer the effectiveness of individual law enforcement agencies. This inference is flawed because all the other measures of police effectiveness were ignored. The nature of the offenses that were cleared must be considered as those cleared may not have been the most serious, like murder or rape. The agency’s clearances may or may not result in conviction, the ultimate goal. The agency may make many arrests for Part II offenses, like drug abuse violations, which demonstrate police activity but are not considered in the clearance rate. The agency’s available resources are also critical to successful operation, so its rate of officers to population and budget should be considered. The UCR clearance rate was simply not designed to provide a complete assessment of law enforcement effectiveness. In order to obtain a validpicture of an agency’s effectiveness, data users must consider an agency’s emphases and resources; and its crime, clearance, and arrest rates; along with other appropriate factors.

Because of concern regarding the proper use of UCR data, the FBI has the following policies:

The FBI does not analyze, interpret, or publish crime statistics based solely on single-dimension inter-agency ranking.
The FBI does not provide agency-based crime statistics to data users in a ranked format.
When providing/using agency-oriented statistics, the FBI cautions and, in fact, strongly discourages, data users against using rankings to evaluate locales or the effectiveness of their law enforcement agencies.

Promoting Responsible Crime Analysis

For more information about the UCR Program, visit http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr. For Web assistance, please contact the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division at (304) 625-4995.

Click here to read more Crime in America 2015 coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2015 – Law Street

Developing: Shooter Arrested in Charleston Church Shooting

ICYMI: Best of the Week

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

#2 Crime in America 2015: Slideshow of the Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

#3 The Elkhart Four Await Indiana Supreme Court Decision

Crime in America 2015: Slideshow of the Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE NORTHEAST, THE MIDWEST, THE WEST, AND THE SOUTH

READ MORE: CRIME MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

Crime in America 2015: Interactive Map of Crime by Metro Areas

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE NORTHEAST, THE MIDWEST, THE WEST, AND THE SOUTH

READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 MOST DANGEROUS METRO AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Northeast Metros

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE MIDWEST, THE WEST, AND THE SOUTH

READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE UNITED STATES

READ MORE: CRIME MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE NORTHEAST

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South

Read More: 2015 crime rankings for the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West

Read More: Slideshow: Top 15 Most Dangerous Metros in the United States

Read More: Crime map of the United States

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE SOUTH

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE SOUTH

Click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE NORTHEAST, THE SOUTH, AND THE WEST

READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE UNITED STATES

READ MORE: CRIME MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE MIDWEST

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE MIDWEST

Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West

READ MORE: 2015 CRIME RANKINGS FOR THE MIDWEST, THE SOUTH, AND THE NORTHEAST

READ MORE: SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE UNITED STATES

READ MORE: CRIME MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS METROS IN THE WEST

#4 Fairbanks, AK Metro Area*

TOP 10 SAFEST METROS IN THE WEST

CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL CRIME IN AMERICA 2015 COVERAGE, INCLUDING THE SAFEST & MOST DANGEROUS CITIES AND STATES.

What You Need to Know About the FBI’s Latest Crime Statistics

1. Crime is Down… Again

2. Better Data on Rape in America

3. Violent Crime Fell Across Nearly All Categories

4. Midwestern Crime is Dropping Faster Than the Rest of the Nation

5. Crime Dropped Across Every Population Group

Modernizing American Crime Stats: A Look Inside the FBI’s Data Division

Weird Arrests of the Week

ICYMI: Best of the Week

#1 Slideshow: America’s Safest & Most Dangerous States 2015

#2 School Dress Codes: Are Yoga Pants Really the Problem?

#3 University of Virginia Suspends All Fraternities After Rape Allegations

Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2015

Go directly to your state: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

Alaska: #1 Most Dangerous State | 640 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10

Weird Arrests of the Week

ICYMI: Best of the Week

#1 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

#2 Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

#3 Crime in America 2015: Full Coverage

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America, Irvine the Safest

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities with populations over 200,000.

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities with populations under 200,000.

Click here to see the Top 10 Safest Cities with populations over 200,000.

Flint and Chicago Are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings