Crime Statistics – Law Street

What Do Crime Trends Look Like in America’s Largest Cities?

Kevin Rizzo — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:38:09 +0000

Although crime is often a major issue in public debate at the local and national level, American perception of crime rates often does not match what the statistics tell us. While violent crime has generally been declining for the past several decades, public opinion polling since the early 1990s shows that most Americans have felt that crime went up in the past year, when more often than not the opposite occurred.

Given this persistent gap between perception and reality as well as false or misleading public statements about crime, it’s particularly important to look at the long-term trends. Law Street’s interactive crime statistics dashboard provides detailed information about crime statistics in America’s largest cities going back to 1985. With it, you can visualize crime trends for any city with available data from the FBI and a population greater than 200,000 people.

The tool clearly illustrates the general downward trend in violent crime since the early 1990s. Here’s a look at the violent crime rate per 100,000 people for the United States as a whole and for all cities with a population over 250,000. As you can see in the chart below, violent crime rates tend to be noticeably higher in large cities relative to the nation as a whole and the decrease that has occurred over the past several decades was primarily concentrated in those cities as well.

When you look at several individual cities, that downward trend is pretty easy to identify. Three major cities with some of the largest percentage decrease in crime rates are New York City, Los Angeles, and Dallas, as you can see in the chart below. The 2015 violent crime rates in these three cities dropped by more than half relative to the rates at their respective peaks in the 1990s.

While looking at trends over several decades helps explain how crime rates today compare to the particularly high rates several decades ago, more recent trends are also important. While many cities continue to see their crime rates fall, others have seen modest but significant increases in recent years. This is particularly true when you look at changes in murder rates. The number of murders in large cities saw a notable increase in 2015, which for many cities may be an emerging trend. Here’s a look at a few cities that have seen their murder rates go up for multiple consecutive years.

Although the national murder rate and the rates in the cities detailed above went up in 2015–the most recent year with available data–it’s important to note that the increase did not happen everywhere. In fact, there were several large cities that saw modest decreases in their murder rates. However, the recent changes remain notable even if rates remain near multi-decade lows.

To take a closer look at these cities and to identify trends on your own, check out the new interactive dashboard or read more of Law Street’s Crime in America coverage.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

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What Do Motor Vehicle Theft Rates Look Like Across the U.S.?

Kevin Rizzo — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 19:37:26 +0000

"Broken car window" courtesy of dumbonyc; License: (CC BY-SA 2.0)

When it comes to crime statistics, violent crime tends to get most of the attention. While it’s often easy to overlook property crime because no force is involved, the FBI estimates that $14.3 billion was lost last year because of property crimes. Offenses that the FBI considers property crimes are burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The most expensive property crime is motor vehicle theft, which cost about $7,000 per crime on average in 2015.

According to FBI estimates, there were 707,758 motor vehicle thefts in 2015, causing more than $4.9 billion in losses. While property crime in general decreased last year, the number of motor vehicle thefts went up by 3.1 percent. Despite that increase, the number of vehicle thefts last year was lower than the number in 2011 and represents a decrease of more than 40 percent since 2006.

Because motor vehicle theft is a property crime, these numbers only include offenses where there is no force or threat of force involved. Additionally, because of the FBI’s hierarchy rule, if multiple crimes are committed in the same instance, only the most significant crime (typically if a violent crime is involved), is counted in the reported crime statistics.

The map below illustrates the rate of motor vehicle theft in states across the country.

With a rate of 475 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 people, California has the highest rate in the nation. Vermont had the lowest rate of motor vehicle thefts, with just 28 per 100,000 people. Following Vermont are nearby Maine and New Hampshire, with 61 and 67 per 100,000 people respectively.

When you look at individual cities, four of the top 20 cities with the highest rates of motor vehicle theft are in California, as shown in the table below–starting with Oakland, California, which had a rate of 1,523 vehicle thefts per 100,000 people in 2015, the highest rate among all cities with more than 100,000 residents. In total, Oakland had 6,389 motor vehicle thefts last year.

The table below shows which cities have the highest rates of motor vehicle theft among cities with a population larger than 100,000 people.

Kevin Rizzo

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Crime in America 2017

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 21:51:08 +0000

Image copyright of Law Street Media

Law Street Media’s comprehensive Crime in America 2017 coverage provides a look at the safety of our cities and towns around the United States. Based on data provided in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, Law Street analyzes the data to provide lists of the safest and most dangerous cities around the U.S. Take a look at the rankings and features below to discover how safe your city actually is. Check back regularly for continued reporting and additional features.

Rankings

Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Safest Cities Over 200,000

Safest and Most Dangerous States

Interactive Dashboard

Crime Trends in America’s Largest Cities

Charts and Data

Interactive Map: How Murder Rates Changed in America’s Largest Cities

What Do Motor Vehicle Theft Rates Look Like Across the U.S.?

FBI: Crime in the United States 2015

NOTES

Kevin Rizzo

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Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 21:30:19 +0000

Image courtesy of [OCParks_CA via Flickr]

Irvine, California, and Gilbert, Arizona, remained the two safest cities in the United States with populations over 200,000 for the fourth year in a row. Newcomers to this year’s list included Glendale, California, which previously wasn’t included because its population was below the 200,000 person threshold, and Scottsdale, Arizona, which was not included in the FBI’s statistics last year. While the overall rate of violent crime rose by a small margin in the United States–roughly 3 percent–the safest cities were a mixed bag, with both notable increases and decreases in violent crime rates.

All statistics are based on 2015 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Check out the slideshow below for the Top 10 Most Safest Cities Over 200,000.

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

#1 Irvine, California

Image courtesy of Orbitgal via Flickr

Irvine topped the list of Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 for the fourth year running. Irvine’s violent crime rate did rise by about 14 percent, but it was not enough to drop the California city from the #1 spot on the list. In raw numbers, Irvine only had 24 more violent crimes in 2015 than in 2014. Irvine’s population also rose, by over six percent. Additionally, Irvine saw two murders in 2015, compared to zero in 2014. The increase in the overall count mainly came from the increased instances of robbery, which rose by almost 60 percent to a total of 58.

Violent Crime Rate: 56/100,000 people*
Murder Rate: 1/100,000 people
Population: 258,198
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:1,272
Rank Last Year: #1

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*Irvine, California switched the way it reports rape incidents during the 2015 calendar year, moving from the FBI’s legacy definition to the FBI’s revised definition, which is more inclusive. For more information about the definition change, click here.

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

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

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2015.

Kevin Rizzo

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Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 21:15:31 +0000

Image courtesy of [Alexbaumgarner via Wikimedia]

Rockford, Illinois, is the most dangerous city in the U.S. with a population between 100,000-200,000 people, displacing Little Rock, Arkansas, which now ranks as #2. Tallahassee, Florida moved onto the list at #8 after just missing the cut at #12 last year; Odessa, Texas also moved from #11 to #9. Many of the rest of the positions held steady and only saw small increases or decreases in their violent crime rates.

All statistics are based on 2015 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Check out the slideshow below for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000.

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

#1 Rockford, Illinois

Image courtesy of Alexbaumgarner via Wikimedia Commons

Rockford, Illinois has displaced Little Rock, Arkansas, as the most dangerous city with a population between 100,000-200,000 people. Rockford saw a 28 percent increase in its violent crime rate last year, after a 10 percent decrease the year before. However, Rockford’s murder rate only increased slightly, from 11 per 100,000 people in 2014 to 13 per 100,000 people in 2015. The most dramatic jumps came from increases in the numbers of robbery and aggravated assault, rising by 22 percent and 30 percent respectively.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,585/100,000 people
Murder Rate: 13/100,000 people
Population: 148,178
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:529
Rank Last Year: #2

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

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

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2015.

Editor’s Note: This post was updated to remedy a spelling issue.

Kevin Rizzo

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Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:24:10 +0000

"Peekaboo Arch. St. Louis, Missouri" courtesy of [DukeNewport Photography via Flickr]

St. Louis, Missouri moved from #4 to #1 this year on Law Street’s list of Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 after its violent crime rate rose by more than 8 percent. As violent crime increased nationally by nearly 4 percent, many cities in the top 10 saw substantial increases. Detroit is #2 on this year’s list, moving down after three consecutive years at the top of the list due to an 11.5 percent decrease in its overall violent crime rate. Notably missing from this year’s list is Cleveland, Ohio, which had ranked #8 on last year’s list. The FBI did not provide information for Cleveland this year, and therefore the city cannot be ranked.

All statistics are based on 2015 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Check out the slideshow below for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000.

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES UNDER 200,000

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES OVER 200,000

#1 St. Louis, Missouri

Image courtesy of Kevin McCoy via Wikimedia Commons

A significant violent crime spike in St. Louis, Missouri put the city at the top of Law Street’s list of the Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000. The violent crime rate in St. Louis went up by more than 8 percent in 2015, going from 1,679 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2014 to 1,817 per 100,000 last year. That increase moved the city up from the #4 spot in last year’s rankings. St. Louis also saw 29 additional murders in 2015, going from 159 in 2014 to 188 in 2015. The city had a murder rate of 59 murders per 100,000 in 2015. Additionally, the number of robberies and aggravated assaults both experienced notable increases last year, going up 15 percent and 5 percent respectively.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,817/100,000 people
Murder Rate: 59/100,000 people
Population: 317,095
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:258
Rank Last Year: #4

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

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

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2015.

Kevin Rizzo

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Research Shows a Recent Surge in Hate Crimes Against Muslims

Kevin Rizzo — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 20:46:01 +0000

"Rally against Islamophobia and hate speech" courtesy of [Fibonacci Blue via Flickr]

Amid growing fear of terrorism and divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail, researchers have identified a startling upward trend in hate crimes against Muslims. According to a recent study, these crimes have reached their highest levels since the period directly after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Brian Levin and Kevin Grisham, researchers at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, identified a slight rise in hate crimes overall but found a significant increase in those targeting Muslims. Using data from law enforcement officials in 20 states, they found 196 anti-Muslim hate crimes in the 2015 calendar year–a 78 percent increase from the previous year. Based on that sample, they estimate that there were approximately 260 hate crimes against Muslims across the country in 2015.

While most categories of hate crime saw either declines or slight increases, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab crimes spiked significantly, increasing by 78 and 209 percent respectively. They also found a 40 percent increase in anti-gender/transgender hate crimes. The 196 anti-Muslim hate crimes identified by the researchers in the 20 states surveyed amounted to a 29 percent increase relative to what the FBI found nationwide in 2014. The evidence for the increase in hate crimes with an Arab and gender bias came from smaller 10 and 9 state samples, respectively.

It’s important to note that these numbers almost certainly undercount the actual number of hate crimes in the United States. Incidents of hate crimes are notoriously difficult to measure–many victims may be reluctant to report these crimes and police departments may not identify hate crimes as such. And as the report notes (and I’ve previously written about), there is a significant gap between the number of reported hate crimes and the results of victimization surveys, which indicate that they occur much more frequently than these statistics suggest.

Last December, the researchers conducted a study of unofficial reports of hate crimes–largely by identifying incidents in news reports–and found evidence of a spike in the wake of the Paris shootings. With this study, they were able to build on their past findings using official data from police departments to identify an overall increase last year. “The newly available official data corroborates the December/November spike found in our earlier study,” they write. “The increase was real and material across the entire year as well.”

Trying to explain what is driving the recent increase is also particularly difficult, as causal connections are difficult to identify. But the authors note that recent rhetoric directed at Muslims is likely a factor. They point to a surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes that occurred after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. That spike dropped significantly–although it didn’t go away altogether–after September 17 when President Bush gave a speech at an Islamic center to distinguish terrorism from Islam and called for respect for American Muslims.

In contrast, they note that in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings last year, Donald Trump publicly called for a ban on Muslims entering the country. They note that after that point hate crimes against Muslims increased by 87.5 percent. Overall, the researchers identified a multi-year trend even predating the rise of Donald Trump in American politics.

The authors also note that the causes of hate crimes are extremely complicated. While hostile rhetoric may contribute to an increase in these events, there are many other factors at play. Many factors can contribute to prejudice toward a certain group and an even more complicated set of factors can explain whether a prejudice leads to violence. Ultimately, these statistics cannot provide a full picture of hate crimes in the United States, but they identify a trend that is troubling and difficult to refute.

Kevin Rizzo

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Infographic: Visualizing Crime in America 2016

Kevin Rizzo — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:00:54 +0000

Image copyright Law Street Media

Law Street’s annual Crime in America Rankings take an in-depth look at crime rates and important crime statistics for major cities across the country. The following infographic gives a visual summary of the report’s highlights and major findings:

Image copyright Law Street Media

Using statistics from the FBI, Law Street ranked cities, states, and metro areas according to their violent crime rates. Topping the list of most dangerous cities with populations over 200,000 is Detroit, Michigan with 1,989 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The Memphis-TN metro area is the most dangerous metro and Alaska is the most dangerous state based on their violent crime rates per 100,000 people. The city with the lowest crime rate based on Law Street’s criteria is Irvine, California, which continues its streak at the top of the list of safest cities. Maine has the lowest crime rate out of all 50 states.

The Transgender Murder Crisis: Why Were There So Many Killings in 2015?

Amanda Gernentz Hanson — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:30:37 +0000

Image courtesy of [Ted Eytan via Flickr]

The year 2015 will be marked by many advances for the transgender community, both in the media (hello Caitlyn Jenner) and in legislatures across the United States and the world. All in all, 2015 was a year when transgender rights came further into the forefront of our daily lives and vocabulary. But there was a dark side to 2015 as well. Somehow, even though trans rights were gaining ground, it was still the year with the most trans murders on record. Read on to learn about the transgender murder crisis in 2015.

Why Are Trans People Getting Murdered?

Many of the trans people who were murdered in 2015 were victims of hate crimes. Even worse, the majority were perpetrated against transgender women of color.

Hate crimes, specifically those against people identifying with a certain gender, have occurred for years. But these crimes came into the spotlight in 2009 when Congress passed the Matthew Shepard Act, which added gender identity to the list of possible motivations for hate crimes. The act also requires the FBI to track statistics on gender identity-motivated hate crimes, but those statistics rely on voluntary reporting from law enforcement agencies and many believe that they are grossly underestimated. These crimes may be undercounted because police officers may not report the murders of trans people as hate crimes–or treat these murders like hate crimes–because their gender is often misidentified.

Who are the victims?

Some of the victims, such as Mercedes Williamson and Keyshia Blige, were killed by strangers in the typical sense of a hate crime–people who didn’t want someone different, or outside of their norm, in their community. There is also a subset of these murders that were committed by loved ones. Around half of the transgender murders in 2015 were committed by people who knew their victims. Two examples include Yazmin Vash Payne, who was killed by her boyfriend after an argument, and Bri Golec, who was stabbed to death by her father.

How Many Trans Murders Were There in 2015?

According to the Human Rights campaign, there were at least 21 murders specifically of trans individuals in the United States in the first 10 months of 2015. But these are only the murders that were reported and identified by that group, and only includes part of the year. Other counts put that statistic higher, but the fact of the matter is that based on the available data, we do not know how many trans murders occured. Even then, the 21 identified by the Human Rights campaign marks a notable increase from previous years. In 2013, there were at least 19 murders of trans people and in 2014, there were at least 13.

The true number is almost certainly higher. There have been many articles in the last couple of months detailing the attacks and profiling the victims of these attacks, which flips the normal crime story on its head (since most crime stories talk only about the perpetrator rather than the victims). These profiles and articles were mainly released before November 20, which is the Transgender Day of Remembrance in the United States. There were also protests surrounding the Day of Remembrance where people lay in the streets, feigning death in order to draw attention to this seemingly invisible problem.

Official hate crime statistics from the FBI for the 2015 calendar year won’t be released until later in the year, but that only includes incidents identified as hate crimes and are widely regarded as an undercount of the actual number.

Why the FBI Stats are Lacking

According to the hate crime statistics released by the FBI last November for the 2014 calendar year, there were only 109 gender-identity motivated hate crimes, of which only 23 fit into the FBI’s violent crime category. However, the FBI’s hate crime numbers are thought to be considerably lower than the actual number of offenses. This is because the statistics are voluntarily submitted by law enforcement agencies, many of which reported zero hate crimes in 2014. The Human Rights Campaign even identified crimes that should have been considered hate crimes but were not appropriately reported. In fact, the FBI’s 2014 statistics indicate that of the 4,048 total hate crimes classified as “crimes against persons,” only four were murders, and that includes all potential bias motivations, not just gender identity.

While each jurisdiction has its own reasons for the differing data submissions to the FBI, problems with the statistics could be due to the fact that these crimes may look like accidents. Also, murders aren’t typically considered hate crimes when they are committed by a family member, friend, or partner. Police may also have trouble identifying victims as transgender in the first place, making it harder for data to be accurately gathered–many of the victims identified by the Human Rights Campaign weren’t identified as transgender by the police or media. For these reasons, among others, these murders aren’t being thought of or investigated as hate crimes and are not being reported to the FBI as such.

There is little that the FBI can do about this–it relies entirely on information provided by law enforcement across the country. So it doesn’t matter how many protests take place–as long as law enforcement doesn’t consider these murders to be hate crimes, they will not be included in the FBI’s statistical reports. However, this also provides a glimmer of hope for the trans and LGBTQ community at large. The number of crimes that are classified as hate crimes is getting larger each year, including the number of hate crimes motivated by a person’s gender identity. In fact, 2014’s number is triple the amount of reported hate crimes motivated by gender identity in 2013. The rate of murders against transgender people may not change that much from year-to-year, instead, they may be getting reported more regularly. Therefore, there is hope that the statistics that the FBI releases may be much closer to accurate in the future.

What Can Be Done?

There are several things that can be done to decrease the number of transgender murders in the future. The first is already underway–the FBI has begun keeping track of statistics for hate crimes involving gender identity. The FBI only started gathering statistics on gender identity motivated hate crimes five years ago. There is a lot of room for growth in how the FBI gathers the information for these statistics, but improvement has so far been made each year. Hopefully, these hate crime statistics will give the country–including law enforcement and legislators–an idea of what is happening in the United States and what else needs to be done to protect transgender people. Congress recently created a Transgender Equality Task Force to help identify issues that transgender people face, which according to advocates should include tracking incidents of violence.

Allies and education are other key ways to prevent the murders of transgender people in the future. When any marginalized group of people has allies on their side, it is easier to fight back. Allies, in this case, are people who do not identify as transgender but who support the causes important to transgender people, such as safe spaces and the legal right to be recognized as an individual’s identified gender. Education about what it is like to be transgender is another small thing that can go a long way. Both trans people and allies can work to educate people throughout the country, hopefully helping develop a broader sense of understanding of what it is like to be transgender and what kinds of rights transgender people are still fighting for.

A Look at the Numbers

There is some good news: trans support in the United States is increasing. In April 2015, the Human Rights Campaign noted that the number of people who say they know a transgender person is up 5 percent from the previous year, and 66 percent of those people look favorably on their transgender acquaintances. The percentage of people who were polled by YouGov as saying that they believe being transgender is immoral is down to 31 percent. While it’s still unclear what the actual transgender population is in the United States–FiveThirtyEight postulates that many of the people who claim to not know any transgender people likely do–each person’s choice on how broadly to share their personal life differs.

All of these statistics show a changing tide in the fight for transgender rights, and also show that younger generations are even more likely to support transgender rights and fight for an end to violence against the trans population.

Conclusion

In 2015, there were at least 21 transgender women who were the victims of murders across the United States. 2015 also marked the highest number of murders against transgender people on record. These murders were committed by both strangers and loved ones of the victims, and they have been classified as hate crimes by activists and by the people who were close to the victims. But until law enforcement consistently reports on the set of criteria that would classify transgender murders as hate crimes, the statistics that the FBI is required to release each year will fall short of being accurate. While we do not yet have reliable statistics about murders and hate crimes against transgender people, as awareness increases that will likely improve. While there are many ways to support transgender people–including activism–the most effective way to shrink the number of murders in the future is to compile and release accurate statistics that would show these crimes for what they are. Until then, these sad and gruesome crimes will continue to occur, and transgender people will continue to be victimized.

Resources

Primary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation: FBI Releases 2014 Hate Crimes Statistics

The Federal Bureau of Investigation: Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 Brochure

Additional

The New York Times: Obama Calls for End to ‘Conversion’ Therapies for Gay and Transgender Youth

Vanity Fair: Caitlyn Jenner: The Full Story

Rolling Stone: The 5 Best and Worst Trans Moments of 2015

Slate: Five Things Trans People Teach Us All About Ourselves

Huffington Post: Lives Guided By Fear: In Honor of the Transgender Day of Remembrance

Human Rights Campaign: Addressing Anti-Transgender Violence: Exploring Realities, Challenges, and Solutions for Policymakers and Community Advocates

Huffington Post: What Does Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to the Trans Community?

Broadly: ‘He’s Not Done Killing Her’: Why So Many Trans Women Were Murdered in 2015

Broadly: A Crisis of Violence: Transgender Murders Increased 84% This Year

Vice: Trans Women of Color Face an Epidemic of Violence and Murder

Fusion: 20 Trans People Were Murdered This Year. This is What Happened.

Mother Jones: It’s Incredibly Scary to Be a Transgender Woman of Color Right Now

Time: Why Transgender People Are Being Murdered at a Historic Rate

Rolling Stone: More Trans People Have Been Killed in 2015 Than Ever Before

Crime Museum: History of Hate Crime

The Williams Institute: Suicide Attempts Among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults

USA Today: Transgender People Face an Alarmingly High Risk of Suicide

Think Progress: As 2015 Sees a Record Number of Documented Transgender Murders, a Glimmer of Hope

Human Rights Campaign: Survey Shows Striking Increase in Americans Who Know and Support Transgender People

YouGov: One-third Think it is Morally Wrong to be Transgender

FiveThirtyEight: Most Americans Say They Don’t Know a Transgender Person – But Many of Them Probably Do

Huffington Post: The Kids Are All Right with Transgender Rights

Amanda Gernentz Hanson

Amanda Gernentz Hanson is a Minnesota native living in Austin, Texas. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Hope College and a Master’s degree in Technical Communication from Minnesota State University, where her final project discussed intellectual property issues in freelancing and blogging. Amanda is an instructional designer full time, a freelance writer part time, and a nerd always. Contact Amanda at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Transgender Murder Crisis: Why Were There So Many Killings in 2015? appeared first on Law Street.

Violent Crime Ticks up Slightly in First Half of 2015

Kevin Rizzo — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 21:36:11 +0000

Image courtesy of [JJ via Flickr]

Violent crime increased by 1.7 percent nationally in the first half of 2015, according to a preliminary report released by the FBI. Although violent crime was up slightly from January to June last year, that increase comes during a long and continuous drop in violent crime. In every other year since 2007–with the exception of 2012, which saw a slight increase as well–the FBI’s preliminary statistics have showed a drop in violent crime in the first six months of the year.

The FBI’s preliminary semiannual crime publication details crime statistics for different population groups, regions, and individual cities for the first six months of 2015. Several cities experienced notable changes in their violent crime rates. Detroit, Michigan, for instance, experienced a significant decrease in its violent crime numbers relative to the previous year, as violent crime dropped by over 9 percent. The city’s violent crime decreased in every category, particularly incidences of murder, rape, and robbery. In total, Detroit had 581 fewer violent crimes in the first half of 2015 than it did in the same period of the previous year. On the other end of the spectrum was St. Louis, Missouri, which saw its violent crime statistics go up by about 23 percent. Notably, the number of murders went up by 58.6 percent, with 34 additional murders in the first half of 2015.

Many mid-sized cities experienced large changes as well. Rockford, Illinois saw its violent crime increase by roughly the same margin as St. Louis, going up by 23.2 percent. Lansing, Michigan’s capital city, experienced a notable decrease in crime, which fell by nearly 13 percent in the first half of last year.

See how the other cities on Law Street’s crime rankings fared in the FBI’s preliminary statistics:

Dangerous Cities Over 200,000: Detroit, St. Louis See Big Changes

Dangerous Cities Under 200,000: Mixed Bag of Results for Early 2015 Crime

Safest Cities: Five of Top 10 See Crime Decrease in First Half of 2015

According to the FBI’s recent report, changes in violent crime varied widely in different parts of the country. While the Northeast actually reported a 3.2 percent decrease in violent crime, the West saw crime go up by more than 5 percent relative to the first half of 2014. As 2015 progressed, murmurs of a crime increase spread, and while current data suggests that may be the case, such a conclusion remains preliminary. The largest increase by population grouping occurred in cities with populations between 250,000 to 499,999 people–where crime grew by 5.3 percent.

It is important to note that the FBI’s statistics are preliminary and may be revised as the FBI gets more data from local police departments. Additionally, trends may have shifted by the end of the year, which we will not be able to have definitive statistics on until the FBI releases its annual Crime in the United States Publication.

Changes in year-to-year crime statistics have been attributed to a wide variety of developments ranging from new policing tactics to factors as simple as cold weather. While national trends may be able to explain changes in crime rates, it’s best to look at changes on a case by case basis. While the national increase in the first six months of last year is notable, it is also important to realize that crime rates remain near historic lows.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Violent Crime Ticks up Slightly in First Half of 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

Crime Rates in the Most Popular U.S. Travel Destinations

Kevin Rizzo — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 19:19:45 +0000

Image courtesy of [Aurelien Guichard via Flickr]

We often talk about crime statistics in terms of the safest and most dangerous cities, but many of the most popular cities in the United States rarely make those lists. In fact, many of the top travel destinations may actually have lower crime rates than you would think. We looked at the top 10 U.S. cities on Trip Advisor’s list of Travelers’ Choice Destinations to determine the most popular cities for visitors, and then broke down their actual crime rates.

A notable example of is Chicago, a city that many people think has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. In raw numbers, Chicago does have a lot of violent crime–over 24,000 violent crimes in 2014–but given its large population, its rate does not place it among the top 10 highest. To break the top 10, Chicago would need almost 1.5 times as many violent crimes, given its current population of over 2.7 million people.

This is true for many of the most popular American cities, particularly those with very large populations. For each city on Trip Advisor’s ranking, we list its violent crime statistics, which include murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. We also indicate each city’s rank in terms of violent crime rate among the 111 U.S. cities that have a population greater than 200,000 people and available data from the FBI.

All data is based on the FBI’s most recent Crime in the United States publication, which includes statistics from the 2014 calendar year. It is important to note that this is not a ranking of cities’ crime statistics, rather a look at how crime rates vary across popular American cities. A wide range of factors contributes to a city’s violent crime rate, particularly among cities of different sizes and demographics.

Check out the slideshow below to see how violent crime statistics varies among top travel destinations in the country.

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here to see the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Click here to see all of Law Street Media’s Crime in America Coverage

New York, New York

Image courtesy of Peter McConnochle via Flickr

Violent Crime Rate: 597 per 100,000 people
Overall Rank: #53
Population: 8,473,938
Total Violent Crime: 50,564
Murder: 333
Rape: 2,190*
Robbery: 16,518
Aggravated Assault: 31,460

The overall rank is relative to the 286 U.S. cities with populations over 200,000 people and available FBI data.

*New York began the year submitting rape data classified according to the legacy UCR definition. However, at some point during the calendar year, the agency modified its reporting methods and began classifying and submitting rape offenses according to the revised UCR definition of rape. For more details click here.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime Rates in the Most Popular U.S. Travel Destinations appeared first on Law Street.

As Anti-Islamic Rhetoric Grows, Hate Crime Against Muslims May be Rising

Kevin Rizzo — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 16:45:45 +0000

Cropped image courtesy of [Jason Tester Guerrilla Futures via Flickr]

A development that has so far been described using anecdotal evidence now has some data to back it up: in the wake of the Paris attacks, hate crimes against Muslims and mosques may be increasing. An analysis from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that the number of hate crimes since the Paris attacks is nearly three times greater than the monthly average in the past five years. While this finding is striking, it is important to acknowledge how incomplete hate crime data is in the United States.

According to the analysis–which used the FBI’s criteria and definitions from American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code to identify hate crime incidents in news reports–the study found 37 suspected hate crimes between November 13 and December 13. Brian Levin, the director of Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, notes that these findings represent a significant increase based on available data. According to FBI statistics, the United States averaged 12.6 hate crimes with an anti-Islamic bias each month over the previous five years. There were 11 anti-Islamic hate crimes in the week after the San Bernadino shootings alone.

It is important to note that the FBI data on hate crime is, put simply, incomplete. The statistics published each year by the FBI are almost certainly an undercount of the total number of hate crimes. The data, which includes incidents and offenses known to law enforcement, are voluntarily submitted by local law enforcement agencies. While 15,494 agencies participated in Hate Crime Statistics Program last year, only 1,666 agencies reported crimes.

To get a sense of how much information might be missing from the data, let’s look at the numbers. Florida, the third most populous state in the country with nearly 20 million residents, reported 72 hate crimes in 2014. By contrast, the District of Columbia has fewer than 660,000 residents but reported 87 hate crimes over the same period. The FBI even publishes an additional table with all of the agencies that reported zero hate crimes.

Survey data on hate crimes further highlights the gaps in the FBI’s statistics. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, an annual survey of a nationally representative sample of American households, there were about 293,800 hate crimes in 2012, while the FBI data shows fewer than 6,000.*

It is important to note that both data sets are trying to measure different things–the survey tracks self-identified victimization while the FBI data includes incidents known to law enforcement–but the massive gap illustrates that the FBI data is most likely missing something. Even when you account for the fact that approximately 60 percent of survey respondents did not report their victimization to the police, the numbers remain far apart.

So does this mean we should dismiss the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism’s analysis? Researchers claim that there was a significant increase in anti-Islamic hate crimes after the Paris attacks, but they are comparing news reports to FBI data, which is most likely incomplete. The lack of accurate data on hate crimes makes it difficult to draw sweeping conclusions, but there is additional evidence to suggest that Islamaphobia is on the rise in America. Another review of anti-Islamic crimes found that crimes targeting mosques increased after the Paris attacks as well. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations–which tracks damage, harassment, intimidation, and zoning incidents related to mosques–2015 experienced a significant increase in incidents, especially in recent months. There have also been widespread reports of mosques increasing security because of the perceived threat against Muslims. Even if there has not been a dramatic growth in hate crimes, the perception among Muslims in the United States and around the world is, by itself, a notable consequence of these trends.

While researchers look at a possible increase in hate crimes, anti-Islamic rhetoric has been on the rise. Donald Trump has said we should temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country, supports a database to track Muslims, and said that the United States should consider shutting down mosques. Marco Rubio went further to say that the government should not only shut down mosques but any place where radicalization happens. Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz have argued that preference should be given to Christian refugees fleeing prosecution, indicating that they pose less of a threat than Muslims fleeing the same thing. Ben Carson even used an analogy to compare Syrian refugees to a rabid dog.

We may not know the extent to which growing fear of terrorism has caused hate crimes, but as public resentment towards Muslim Americans grows the evidence, while anecdotal, seems difficult to dismiss.

*The FBI added an addendum to its 2012 report to include additional submissions from Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Texas, but even when the additional data is accounted for the total doesn’t increase much. [back]

Kevin Rizzo

The post As Anti-Islamic Rhetoric Grows, Hate Crime Against Muslims May be Rising appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:37:36 +0000

Image copyright Law Street Media

While crime in the United States continued its downward trend last year, some metropolitan areas experienced relatively high rates of violent crime when compared to the rest of the country. According to the most recent crime data from the FBI, which covers the 2014 calendar year, the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area had the highest violent crime rate in both the south and the entire United States for the second year in a row. The Memphis metro area had approximately 1034 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Of the 15 metro areas with the highest crime rates, nine are located in the Southern region of the United States while none of the top 15 are located in 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. Ranking metropolitan areas provides additional insight about crime in the United States because the statistics account for crime in a principal city as well as surrounding suburbs, which tend to be both socially and economically integrated.

#1 Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Image courtesy of James Blucher via Flickr

Overall Rank: #1
Rank in South: #1
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 1034
– Murder: 13
– Rape: 51
– Robbery: 270
– Aggravated Assault: 699
Population: 1,348,092

The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area includes Crittenden County, AR; Benton, DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica Counties, MS; and Fayette, Shelby, and Tipton Counties, TN as well as the city of Memphis, TN.

More info on metro areas:

The Office of Management and Budget began delineating Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the 1950s in order to provide an established level of analysis for government reports and statistics. MSAs are characterized as having an urban core with more than 50,000 people and surrounding areas that have close social and economic integration. The FBI does not provide data on all of the 388 MSAs defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Click here to see the FBI’s explanation for why all MSAs are not included. MSAs are organized by counties or their equivalent. All statistics in Law Street’s Crime in America metro rankings are presented as rates per 100,000 people, and they are taken from the FBI’s annual Crime in the United States publication section on metropolitan statistical areas. To see the FBI’s data click here.

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Midwest Metros

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:36:44 +0000

Image copyright Law Street Media

The Springfield, IL metro area sits atop the list of the most dangerous metro areas in the Midwest for the second year in a row. According to the latest FBI crime statistics, which cover the 2014 calendar year, Springfield, IL had a violent crime rate of 767 per 100,000 people, the fourth highest in the country. The Wausau, WI metro area was the safest metro in the Midwest for a second straight year. In total, Wisconsin had five of the top 10 safest metro areas in the Midwest. In 2014, the Midwest region of the United States held about 21 percent of the country’s population, but just 19 percent of its violent crime.

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.

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

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

#1 Springfield, IL Metro Area

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #4
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 767
– Murder: 9
– Rape: 71
– Robbery: 138
– Aggravated Assault: 549
Population: 211,855

The Springfield, IL metro area includes Menard and Sangamon Counties as well as the city of Springfield.

#2 Rockford, IL

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #19
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 665
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 57
– Robbery: 144
– Aggravated Assault: 458
Population: 343,135

The Rockford, IL metro area includes Boone and Winnebago Counties as well as the city of Rockford.

#3 Saginaw, MI

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #21
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 660
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 82
– Robbery: 84
– Aggravated Assault: 486
Population: 195,891

The Saginaw, MI metro area includes the Saginaw County and the city of Saginaw.

#4 Flint, MI

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #22
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 652
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 70
– Robbery: 117
– Aggravated Assault: 458
Population: 413,337

The Flint, MI metro area includes Geneseee county and the city of Flint.

#5 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #24
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 646
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 39
– Robbery: 209
– Aggravated Assault: 390
Population: 1,971,378

The Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN metro area includes Boone, Brown, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Putnam, and Shelby Counties as well as the city of Indianapolis3, the city of Carmel, and the city of Anderson.

#6 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #25
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 634
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 33
– Robbery: 251
– Aggravated Assault: 343
Population: 1,573,272

The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI metro area includes Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha Counties as well as, the city of Milwaukee, the city of Waukesha, and the city of West Allis.

#7 Danville, IL

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #30
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 592
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 91
– Robbery: 108
– Aggravated Assault: 392
Population: 79,939

The Danville, IL metro area includes Vermillion County and the city of Danville.

#8 Toledo, OH

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #41
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 559
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 50
– Robbery: 171
– Aggravated Assault: 334
Population: 608,517

The Toledo, OH metro area includes Fulton, Lucas, and Wood Counties as well as the city of Toledo.

#9 Battle Creek, MI

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #44
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 538
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 90
– Robbery: 65
– Aggravated Assault: 380
Population: 134,882

The Battle Creek, MI metro area includes Calhoun County and the city of Battle Creek.

#10 Springfield, MO

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #45
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 536
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 74
– Robbery: 94
– Aggravated Assault: 364
Population: 452,154

The Springfield, MO metro area includes Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, and Webster Counties and the city of Springfield.

Top 10 Safest Metros in the Midwest

#1 Wausau, WI

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 90
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 13
– Robbery: 9
– Aggravated Assault: 66
Population: 135,783

The Wausau, WI metro area includes Marathon County and the city of Wausau.

#2 Columbus, IN

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 110
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 30
– Aggravated Assault: 62
Population: 80,345

The Columbus, IN metro area includes Bartholomew County and the city of Columbus.

#3 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 113
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 23
– Robbery: 25
– Aggravated Assault: 65
Population: 135,985

The La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro area includes Houston County, MN and La Crosse County, WI as well as the city of La Crosse, WI and the city of Onalaska, WI.

#4 Midland, MI

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 124
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 42
– Robbery: 11
– Aggravated Assault: 70
Population: 84,059

The Midland, MI metro area includes the Midland County and the city of Midland.

#5 Eau Claire, WI

Click to enlarge

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 131
– Murder: 0.6
– Rape: 27
– Robbery: 12
– Aggravated Assault: 92
Population: 165,411

The Eau Claire, WI metro area includes Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties as well as the city of Eau Claire.

#6 Ames, IA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 132
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 41
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 74
Population: 93,130

The Ames, IA metro area includes Story County and the city of Ames.

#7 Appleton, WI

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 137
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 16
– Robbery: 11
– Aggravated Assault: 110
Population: 231,052

The Appleton, WI metro area includes Calumet and Outagamie Counties as well as the city of Appleton.

#8 Rochester, MN

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 141
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 29
– Robbery: 26
– Aggravated Assault: 85
Population: 213,400

The Rochester, MN metro area includes Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted, and Wabasha Counties and the city of Rochester.

#9 Sheboygan, WI

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 163
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 18
– Aggravated Assault: 119
Population: 114,823

The Sheboygan, WI metro area includes Sheboygan County and the city of Sheboygan.

#10 Michigan City-La Porte, IN

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 166
– Murder: 5.4
– Rape: 8
– Robbery: 73
– Aggravated Assault: 80
Population: 111,335

The Michigan City- La Porte, IN metro area includes La Porte County as well as Michigan City and the city of La Porte.

—
More info on metro areas:

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

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

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Midwest Metros appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:36:41 +0000

The Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Northeast United States for the second year in a row. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers the 2014 calendar year, the Vineland-Bridgeton metro had a violent crime rate of 511 per 100,000 people. The Bangor, ME metro area also retains its spot atop the top 10 safest northeast metro areas with only 77 violent crimes per 100,000 people. While the Northeast is home to about 18 percent of the U.S. population, it had just 15 percent of the nation’s total violent crime last year.

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.

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

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

#1 Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #54
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 511
– Murder: 11
– Rape: 29
– Robbery: 211
– Aggravated Assault: 261
Population: 157,616

The Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ metro area includes Cumberland County as well as the city of Vineland and the city of Bridgeton.

#2 Springfield, MA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #56
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 507
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 51
– Robbery: 136
– Aggravated Assault: 318
Population: 629,676

The Springfield, MA metro area includes Hampden and Hampshire Counties as well as the city of Springfield.

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

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #75
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 460
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 34
– Robbery: 180
– Aggravated Assault: 239
Population: 6,054,007

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro includes the Metropolitan Divisions of Camden, NJ; Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA; Philadelphia, PA; and Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ as well as the city of Philadelphia, PA and the City of Wilmington, DE.

#4 Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #85
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 436
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 156
– Aggravated Assault: 243
Population: 1,135,581

The Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY metro area includes Erie and Niagara Counties as well as the city of Cheektowaga Town and the city of Niagara Falls.

#5 Barnstable Town, MA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #91
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 426
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 40
– Robbery: 32
– Aggravated Assault: 352
Population: 215,384

The Barnstable Town, MA metro area includes Barnstable County and the city of Barnstable.

#6 Worcester, MA-CT

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #97
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 421
– Murder: 0.9
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 74
– Aggravated Assault: 321
Population: 856,152

The Worcester, MA-CT metro area includes Windham County, CT and Worcester County MA as well as the city of Worcester, MA.

#7 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #123
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 384
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 20
– Robbery: 177
– Aggravated Assault: 181
Population: 276,587

The Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ metro area includes Atlantic County as well as Atlantic City and the city of Hammonton.

#8 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #133
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 371
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 17
– Robbery: 135
– Aggravated Assault: 216
Population: 20,070,688

Includes the Metropolitan Divisions of Dutchess County-Putnam County, NY; Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY; Newark, NJ-PA; and New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ as well as New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Jersey City, NJ; White Plains, NY; the city of New Brunswick, NJ; and Lakewood Township, NJ.

#9 Trenton, NJ

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #151
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 347
– Murder: 9
– Rape: 11
– Robbery: 150
– Aggravated Assault: 177
Population: 371,608

The Trenton, NJ metro area includes Mercer county and the city of Trenton.

#10 Norwich-New London, CT

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #159
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 340
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 45
– Robbery: 62
– Aggravated Assault: 232
Population: 146,061

The Norwich-New London, CT metro area includes New London County, the city of Norwich and the city of New London.

Top 10 Safest Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

#1 Bangor, ME

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 77
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 12
– Robbery: 23
– Aggravated Assault: 40
Population: 153,425

The Bangor, ME metro area includes Penobscot County and the city of Bangor.

#2 State College, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 82
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 8
– Aggravated Assault: 49
Population: 155,684

The State College, PA metro area includes Centre County and the city of State College.

#3 Gettysburg, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 102
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 20
– Robbery: 10
– Aggravated Assault: 73
Population: 101,545

The Gettysburg, PA metro area includes Adams County and the city of Gettysburgh.

#4 Glens Falls, NY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 111
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 47
– Robbery: 8
– Aggravated Assault: 57
Population: 128,487

The Glens Falls, NY metro area includes Warren and Washington Counties as well as the city of Glens Falls.

#5 Portland-South Portland, ME

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 128
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 27
– Aggravated Assault: 73
Population: 522,033

The Portland-South Portland, ME metro area includes Cumberland, Sagadahoc, and York Counties as well as the city of Portland and the city of South Portland.

#6 Lewiston-Auburn, ME

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 142
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 42
– Robbery: 38
– Aggravated Assault: 60
Population: 107,711

The Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area includes Androscoggin County as well as the city of Lewiston and the city of Auburn.

#7 Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 149
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 27
– Robbery: 40
– Aggravated Assault: 79
Population: 152,602

The Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA metro area includes Franklin County as well as the city of Chambersburg and the city of Waynesboro.

#8 Lebanon, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people: 154
– Violent Crime: 154
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 21
– Robbery: 34
– Aggravated Assault: 94
Population: 135,898

The Lebanon, PA metro area includes Lebanon County and the city of Lebanon.

#9 Lancaster, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 165.1
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 38
– Robbery: 51
– Aggravated Assault: 74
Population: 531,837

The Lancaster, PA metro area includes Lancaster County and the city of Lancaster.

#10 Johnstown, PA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 165.3
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 10
– Robbery: 35
– Aggravated Assault: 115
Population: 139,742

The Johnstown, PA metro area includes Cambria County and the city of Johnstown.

—
More info on metro areas:

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:36:37 +0000

The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area tops the list of the most dangerous metro area in the South for the second year in a row. Memphis is also the most dangerous metro area overall according to its violent crime rate per 100,000 people, which in 2014 was 1,034. In contrast, the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY metro area is the safest metro in the South for a second year with a violent crime rate of just 92 per 100,000 people. In 2014, the South had about 38 percent of the U.S. population, but 42 percent of the nation’s violent crime. All of the data comes from the FBI’s Crime in America publication, which details crime statistics for the 2014 calendar year.

Check out the rankings below to see the Top 10 Safest and Top 10 Most Dangerous metros in the South. All rates below are calculated per 100,000 people. Click here to read more information about Metropolitan Statistical Areas and these rankings.

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

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the South

#1 Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area

Click to enlarge

Overall Rank: #1
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 1,034
– Murder: 13
– Rape: 51
– Robbery: 270
– Aggravated Assault: 699
Population: 1,348,092

#2 Alexandria, LA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #3
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 812
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 31
– Robbery: 126
– Aggravated Assault: 648
Population: 155,023

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

#3 Hammond, LA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #5
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 761
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 41
– Robbery: 97
– Aggravated Assault: 615
Population: 126,481

The Hammond, LA metro area includes Tangipahoa Parish and the city of Hammond.

#4 Jackson, TN

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #6
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 756
– Murder: 9
– Rape: 34
– Robbery: 113
– Aggravated Assault: 600
Population: 131,143

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

#5 Lubbock, TX

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #10
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 738
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 52
– Robbery: 113
– Aggravated Assault: 568
Population: 305,514

The Lubbock, TX metro area includes Crosby, Lubbock, and Lynn Counties as well as the city of Lubbock.

#6 Lawton, OK

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #12
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 705
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 62
– Robbery: 150
– Aggravated Assault: 484
Population: 131,086

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

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

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #13
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 696
– Murder: 8
– Rape: 50
– Robbery: 140
– Aggravated Assault: 499
Population: 729,360

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

#8 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #14
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 685.45
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 63
– Robbery: 154
– Aggravated Assault: 462
Population: 2,319,802

The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area includes Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties as well as the city of Orlando, the city of Kissimmee, and the city of Sanford.

#9 Pine Bluff, AR

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #15
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 685.37
– Murder: 18
– Rape: 63
– Robbery: 150
– Aggravated Assault: 454
Population: 94,694

The Pine Bluff, AR metro area includes Cleveland, Jefferson, and Lincoln Counties as well as the city of Pine Bluff.

#10 Tallahassee, FL

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #16
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 679
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 70
– Robbery: 94
– Aggravated Assault: 510
Population: 377,234

The Tallahassee, FL metro area includes the Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, and Wakulla Counties as well as the city of Tallahassee.

Top 10 Safest Metros in the South

#1 Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 92
– Murder: 0.7
– Rape: 28
– Robbery: 17
– Aggravated Assault: 47
Population: 152,068

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

#2 Owensboro, KY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 128
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 29
– Robbery: 36
– Aggravated Assault: 63
Population: 116,963

The Owensboro, KY metro area includes Daviess, Hancock, and McLean Counties as well as the city of Owensboro.

#3 Harrisonburg, VA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 141
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 32
– Robbery: 13
– Aggravated Assault: 93
Population: 130,160

The Harrisonburg, VA metro area includes Rockingham County and the city of Harrisburg.

#4 Staunton-Waynesboro, VA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 148
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 28
– Robbery: 21
– Aggravated Assault: 93
Population: 119,879

The Staunton-Waynesboro, VA metro area includes Augusta County as well as the city of Staunton and the city of Waynesboro.

#5 Bowling Green, KY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 157
– Murder: 0.6
– Rape: 38
– Robbery: 44
– Aggravated Assault: 74
Population: 164,892

The Bowling Green, KY metro area includes Allen, Butler, Edmonson, and Warren Counties as well as the city of Bowling Green.

#6 Charlottesville, VA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 162
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 27
– Robbery: 26
– Aggravated Assault: 106
Population: 225,461

The Charlottesville, VA metro area includes Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson Counties as well as the city of Charlottesville.

#7 Decatur, AL

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 167
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 24
– Robbery: 27
– Aggravated Assault: 114
Population: 153,346

The Decatur, AL metro area includes Lawrence and Morgan Counties as well as the city of Decatur.

#8 Winchester, VA-WV

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 176
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 57
– Robbery: 27
– Aggravated Assault: 90
Population: 132,823

The Winchester, VA-WV metro area includes Frederick County and Winchester City, VA and Hampshire County, WV as well as the city of Winchester, VA.

#9 Gainesville, GA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 177
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 16
– Robbery: 38
– Aggravated Assault: 118
Population: 190,345

The Gainesville, GA metro area includes Hall County as well as the city of Gainesville.

#10 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 182
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 8
– Aggravated Assault: 148
Population: 92,202

The Parkersburg-Vienna, WV metro area includes Wirt and Wood counties as well as the city of Parkersburg and the city of Vienna.

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More info on metro areas:

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

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

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 17:36:31 +0000

The Anchorage, AK metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the West for the second year in a row as well as the number two most dangerous metro area overall. According to the most recent FBI data, which covers the full 2014 calendar year, Anchorage had 844 violent crimes per 100,000 people, an increase of over 6 percent from the previous year. California had four of the top 10 most dangerous metro areas while Oregon had three of the top 10 safest metros. In total, the West had roughly 23 percent of the U.S. population in 2014 as well as about 23 percent of the total violent crime.

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.

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

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the West

#1 Anchorage, AK

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #2
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 844
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 127
– Robbery: 159
– Aggravated Assault: 554
Population: 316,696

The Anchorage, AK metro area includes the Anchorage Municipality, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and the city of Anchorage.

#2 Stockton-Lodi, CA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #7
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 750
– Murder: 9
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 209
– Aggravated Assault: 508
Population: 712,619

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

#3 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #8
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 743
– Murder: 7
– Rape: 48
– Robbery: 268
– Aggravated Assault: 420
Population: 2,066,423

The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metro area includes Clark County, the city of Las Vegas, and the city of Henderson.

#4 Albuquerque, NM

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #9
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 740
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 54
– Robbery: 171
– Aggravated Assault: 510
Population: 903,982

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

#5 Redding, CA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: # 11
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 707
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 62
– Robbery: 95
– Aggravated Assault: 546
Population: 180,406

The Redding, CA metro area includes Shasta County and the city of Redding.

#6 Fairbanks, AK*

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #23
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 648
– Murder: 12
– Rape: 110
– Robbery: 158
– Aggravated Assault: 369
Population: 34,712

The Fairbanks, AL metro area includes the Fairbanks, North Star Borough and 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.

#7 Madera, CA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #34
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 578
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 65
– Aggravated Assault: 483
Population: 153,544

The Madera, CA metro area includes Madera County and the city of Madera.

#8 Pueblo, CO

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #36
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 575
– Murder: 6
– Rape: 96
– Robbery: 116
– Aggravated Assault: 357
Population: 162,854

The Pueblo, CO metro area includes Pueblo County and the city of Pueblo.

#9 Merced, CA

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #42
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 558
– Murder: 11
– Rape: 16
– Robbery: 91
– Aggravated Assault: 440
Population: 266,350

The Merced, CA metro area includes Merced County and the city of Merced.

#10 Farmington, NM

Click to enlarge.

Overall Rank: #46
Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 535
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 81
– Robbery: 46
– Aggravated Assault: 405
Population: 125,309

The Farmington, NM metro area includes San Juan County and the city of Farmington.

Top 10 Safest Metros in the West

#1 Albany, OR

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 98
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 15
– Robbery: 32
– Aggravated Assault: 48
Population: 119,734

The Albany, OR metro area includes Linn County and the city of Albany.

#2 Wenatchee, WA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 117
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 22
– Robbery: 19
– Aggravated Assault: 76
Population: 114,491

The Wenatchee, WA metro area includes Chelan and Douglas Counties as well as the city of Wenatchee.

#3 Corvallis, OR

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people: 120
– Violent Crime: 120
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 25
– Robbery: 18
– Aggravated Assault: 77
Population: 87,222

The Corvallis, OR metro area includes Benton County and the city of Corvallis.

#4 St. George, UT

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 135
– Murder: 1
– Rape: 33
– Robbery: 19
– Aggravated Assault: 81
Population: 150,723

The St. George, UT metro area includes Washington County and the city of St. George.

#5 Idaho Falls, ID

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 155
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 35
– Robbery: 7
– Aggravated Assault: 114
Population: 138,893

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

#6 Ogden-Clearfield, UT

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 155
– Murder: 2
– Rape: 50
– Robbery: 25
– Aggravated Assault: 78
Population: 629,218

The Ogden-Clearfield, UT metro area includes Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, and Weber Counties as well as the city of Ogden and the city of Clearfield.

#7 Cheyenne, WY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 160
– Murder: 3
– Rape: 19
– Robbery: 18
– Aggravated Assault: 121
Population: 96,236

The Cheyenne, WY metro area includes Laramie County and the city of Cheyenne.

#8 Bend-Redmond, OR

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 168
– Murder: 0
– Rape: 30
– Robbery: 30
– Aggravated Assault: 109
Population: 168,749

The Bend-Redmond, OR metro area includes Deschutes County, the city of Bend, and the city of Redmond.

#9 Casper, WY

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 184
– Murder: 4
– Rape: 23
– Robbery: 16
– Aggravated Assault: 142
Population: 81,960

The Casper, WY metro area includes Natrona County and the City of Casper.

#10 Lewiston, ID-WA

Click to enlarge.

Rates/100,000 people:
– Violent Crime: 188
– Murder: 5
– Rape: 26
– Robbery: 22
– Aggravated Assault: 136
Population: 62,666

The Lewiston, ID-WA metro area includes Nez Perce County, ID and Asotin County, WA as well as the city of Lewiston, ID.

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More info on metro areas:

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West appeared first on Law Street.

Donald Trump Doesn’t Like Real Statistics So He Uses Fake Ones

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 22:48:59 +0000

Image courtesy of [Gage Skidmore via Flickr]

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump recently tweeted out some blatantly false statistics about murder in the United States. The tweet, which featured a graphic breaking down “USA Crime Statistics ~ 2015,” not only gets the facts about crime wrong but does so in a way that is pretty clearly racist.

Here’s the tweet:

“@SeanSean252: @WayneDupreeShow @Rockprincess818 @CheriJacobus pic.twitter.com/5GUwhhtvyN“

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2015

The graphic claims that the statistics are from the “Crime Statistics Bureau – San Francisco,” which does not actually exist. The San Francisco Police Department does have a Crime Analysis Unit that releases crime statistics, but it doesn’t publish information about the racial makeup of victims and offenders. For those statistics, we have to rely on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which is a comprehensive report of offenses known to law enforcement in cities, states, and regions across the United States. The UCR is the most authoritative source for crime statistics in the United States–Law Street uses it to rank the Safest and Most Dangerous Cities and States in America.

According to the Crime in the United States report for 2014, the most recent statistics available, Trump’s numbers are clearly off. In total, 5,472 black and white Americans were murdered in cases where the race of both the victim and the offender are known. Here’s the breakdown according to the report’s supplementary homicide table:

Blacks killed by whites: 7.6 percent

Whites killed by blacks: 14.8 percent

Whites killed by whites: 82.4 percent

Blacks killed by blacks: 90 percent

The most blatant inaccuracy in Trump’s statistics is his claim that 81 percent of white victims were killed by a black offender. In reality, that number is about 15 percent, and the number of black victims killed by white offenders is nearly four times higher than Trump’s statistics claim.

Generally speaking, most murders involve a victim and offender of the same race–so no, there is not a massive inequality in the number of white people killed by black people. It is also important to note that when you look at cases where the relationship between the victim and the offender is known, most murder victims already know their assailant–meaning that murder by a stranger is much less likely than murder by a victim’s friend, family member, or acquaintance.

Trump’s tweet also comes after a notably crude statement that he made a couple days earlier. After a protestor interrupted Trump at a rally in Alabama yelling, “black lives matter,” a fight broke out and the protestor was badly beaten. Trump was asked about the incident later and said, “maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing.” He made a similarly controversial statement back in August after a homeless Hispanic man was badly beaten; one of the two alleged perpetrators cited Trump as his inspiration. When asked about it, Trump simply said,

I will say, the people that are following me are very passionate. They love this country. They want this country to be great again. But they are very passionate. I will say that.

In both cases, Trump refused to denounce what happened, all but condoning the violence.

Trump’s recent tweet isn’t the first time that he’s been called out for playing fast and loose with evidence–though it may be the first time he’s trumpeted completely fabricated numbers. When Trump announced that he was running for president he kicked off his campaign with a clearly offensive comment about Mexican immigrants. He said,

They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.

He later tried to back up his claim citing an article from Fusion reporting the tragic finding that as many as 80 percent of all Central American girls who try to cross the border are raped in the process. Trump decided that the article supported his previous statements and when pressed to explain the connection, he said, “someone’s doing the raping.”

Despite all of these tenuous and inaccurate claims, Trump has retained a remarkably high level of support among conservative voters. In fact, he is notoriously difficult to fact check. Even when he cites blatantly wrong statistics or does a television interview where he repeatedly makes false claims, his comments, unfortunately, have no effect on his high poll numbers. We’ll have to see if this total mischaracterization of crime data is any different.

See more from Law Street–the authoritative source for crime data: Crime in America 2016

Kevin Rizzo

The post Donald Trump Doesn’t Like Real Statistics So He Uses Fake Ones appeared first on Law Street.

Interactive Map: Crime Rates Across the United States

Kevin Rizzo — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 15:15:36 +0000

Image courtesy of [Nick Aldwin via Flickr]

The data below is from January 2014–December 2014 for all cities with a population over 100,000 people.

To search for a city or state use the search box on the right. To reset your view clear the search box and hit the home button on the top left of the map.

Click here to see the Top 10 Rankings and all coverage of Crime in America 2016.

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* The figures shown in this column for the offense of rape were reported using the legacy UCR definition of rape. See here for more information.
(1) The FBI determined that the agency’s data were underreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this table.
(2) The population for the city of Mobile, Alabama, includes 55,819 inhabitants from the jurisdiction of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department.
(3) This agency began the year submitting rape data classified according to the legacy UCR definition. However, at some point during the calendar year, the agency modified its reporting methods and began classifying and submitting rape offenses according to the revised UCR definition of rape.
(4) Because of changes in the state/local agency’s reporting practices, figures are not comparable to previous years’ data.
(5) The FBI determined that the agency did not follow national UCR Program guidelines for reporting an offense. Consequently, this figure is not included in this table.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Interactive Map: Crime Rates Across the United States appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:54:38 +0000

Image courtesy of [Ani Od Chai via Flickr]

Little Rock, Arkansas, tops the list as the most dangerous city under 200,000 for the second year in a row. The top three is rounded out by Rockford, Illinois and Springfield, Missouri. This list, which includes cities with populations between 100,000 and 200,000, is based on data released Monday by the FBI. Look at the slideshow below to see the full list of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America under 200,000, and click here to see full Crime in America 2016 coverage.

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

#1 Little Rock, Arkansas

Image courtesy of Ani Od Chai via Flickr

Little Rock, Arkansas, remains the most dangerous city between 100,000-200,000 people, with a remarkably high violent crime rate. Little Rock’s violent crime rate stayed relatively the same in 2014, with just a 1 percent drop, after a spike in 2013 put it at the top of the list. However, Little Rock’s murder rate did increase slightly, from 18 per 100,000 people in 2013 to 22 per 100,000 in 2014.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,392/100,000 people
Murder Rate: 22/100,000 people
Population: 198,217
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:356
Rank Last Year: #1

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

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

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2014.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2016: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:54:13 +0000

Image courtesy of [maziar hooshmand via Flickr]

The top three safest cities in the United States remained the same this year, with Irvine, California taking the number one spot, Gilbert, Arizona second on the list, and Fremont, California rounding out the top three. The top 10 also featured two cities that were not included on last year’s list–Irving, Texas and Chula Vista, California, at number #9 and #10, respectively. All statistics are based on 2014 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Look at the slideshow below to see the Top 10 Safest Cities over 200,000 people in the United States, and click here to see full Crime in America 2016 coverage.

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

#1 Irvine, California

Image courtesy of Infratec via Wikimedia

Irvine, California, has maintained its position as the safest city in America for a third year running. Irvine is located in Orange County, California, south of Los Angeles. In 2014, Irvine experienced only one more violent crime than in 2013, leading to a very minimal three percent increase in its overall violent crime rate. However, Irvine saw no murders in 2014. Remarkably, Irvine’s police force is relatively small, with one officer for every 1,215 people. However, Irvine manages to keep an incredibly low violent crime rate, with almost half the rate of the next city on the list.

Violent Crime Rate: 49/100,000
Murder Rate: 0/100,000
Population: 242,971
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:1215
Rank Last Year: #1

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

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

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2014.

*Irvine, California uses the FBI’s legacy definition for reporting rape. For more information, click here.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime in America 2016: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Large Colleges

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:52:27 +0000

Image courtesy of [Ian D. Keating via Flickr]

Student safety is a high priority for all colleges and universities. While colleges and universities are typically safer than the areas that surround them, many schools face important and unique challenges. Law Street’s Campus Crime Rankings were created to serve as a comprehensive look at the safety of our college campuses, and to act as a resource for students, families, and college communities.

Federal law requires all postsecondary institutions that receive federal financial aid to report and monitor criminal offenses on their campuses. Each year this self-reported data is published by the Department of Education to help colleges and their communities understand the safety challenges that they face. Law Street Campus Crime Rankings utilize the most recent three years of this data to determine the average violent crime rate per 1,000 students for each school with available statistics.

Our rankings break up schools into different categories to ensure that the comparisons are as helpful and fair as possible. This list ranks large schools, which include four-year institutions with enrollments greater than 20,000 students.

Click here to see the data used to create these rankings.

Check out the Top 10 Highest Crime Rates on Large Campuses below.

#1 Highest Crime Rate: University of Illinois at Chicago

Image courtesy of Storm9 via Wikimedia Commons

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is a public research-intensive university located in the Near West Side area of Chicago, Illinois. The majority of the university’s reported violent crimes were aggravated assault offenses with 96 between 2011 and 2013, making up more than 71 percent of its total. UIC reported more aggravated assaults than any other school according to Clery Act data.

Craig Moran, an officer at UIC, attributes the high crime rate to a growth in bars near the school. He told the DePaulia, “With the increase of bars and students, there is an increase of crime.” In an article on DNAInfo Chicago, students and professors criticized the university for not fixing broken lights on campus, which they believe contribute to the overall perception of safety on campus. UIC spokesman Bill Burton believes that the number of crimes is not increasing, rather the number of alerts sent to students is. Burton told NBC Chicago, “We’re trying — we’re more active than ever in trying to make people aware of crime as it occurs and what they can do to prevent it.”

UIC has a Campus Violence Response and Prevention Plan, which includes strategies to raise awareness, as well as to identify and prevent incidents of campus violence. The University of Illinois at Chicago Police Department has full arrest authority on campus.

Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the university, told Law Street in an email:

UIC is the only public research university located in Chicago, a global city with a population of more than 2.7 million. As an Urban Serving University in a large metropolitan area, the institution’s crime rate is affected by socio-economic issues and other factors that also impact the city of Chicago. The UIC Police Department, which has a long history of community-based policing, works closely with Chicago Police and other municipal departments, as well as federal, state, county and other public safety agencies. The UICPD is mandated to report all crimes on or off campus. When reporting crime data, the campus includes Chicago Police Department crime statistics when a crime occurs within the campus Clery geography.

Fall 2013 Enrollment: 28,038 (16,671 Undergraduate)
Average Violent Crime Rate: 1.59 per 1,000
Murder: 1
Forcible Sex Offense: 21
Robbery: 16
Aggravated Assault: 96
Campus Setting: City (Large)

-Campus crime statistics are three-year totals from 2011, 2012, and 2013
-The average violent crime rate is an average of the three-year data shown as a rate per 1,000 students

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Large Colleges appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Large School Data

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:51:16 +0000

Image courtesy of [Tom Woodward via Flickr]

To see Law Street’s coverage of the Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Large Colleges click here.

The table below details three-year crime statistics (2011-2013) for all campuses with Fall 2013 enrollment between 20,000 students.

If you are having trouble viewing the table or are on mobile click here. For best results view in landscape.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Large School Data appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Mid-Sized Schools Data

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:05:20 +0000

Image courtesy of [Tom Woodward via Flickr]

To see Law Street’s coverage of the Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Mid-Sized Colleges click here.

The table below details three-year crime statistics (2011-2013) for all campuses with Fall 2013 enrollment between 10,00-19,999 students.

If you are having trouble viewing the table or are on mobile click here. For best results view in landscape.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Mid-Sized Schools Data appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Mid-Sized Colleges

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:02:48 +0000

Image courtesy of [Matthew Rogers via Flickr]

Our rankings break up schools into different categories to ensure that the comparisons are as helpful and fair as possible. This list ranks mid-sized schools, which include four-year institutions with enrollments between 10,000 to 20,000 students.

Click here to see the data used to create these rankings.

Check out the Top 10 Highest Crime Rates on Mid-Sized Campuses below:

#1 Highest Crime Rate: Howard University

Image courtesy of Ted Eytan via Flickr

Howard University is a private, historically black university located in Washington, D.C. Howard has the highest violent crime rate among medium-sized colleges with an average of 2.88 violent crimes per 1,000 students. Howard reported more robberies than any other medium-sized school with 48 between 2011 and 2013. Howard’s 2012 robbery count was revised last year to include 11 robberies that were recorded by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Two high-profile crimes in the summer of 2013 sparked debate over the safety of Howard students. A Howard senior was shot and killed during a robbery that occurred off campus in July and weeks later a woman was raped in a Howard classroom during the daytime. Even though that murder did not occur on campus and as a result is not included in the Clery Act statistics, the event influenced students’ perceptions of safety on and around campus. In response to these incidents, the Howard and D.C. police departments increased their presence on campus. In recent years Howard has made several attempts to provide new safety services for its students. In 2011, Howard instituted the Guardian system, which allows students to request that the school’s police department monitor them while walking alone. Howard recently started holding mandatory Title IX orientation for freshmen and implemented bystander intervention training to help prevent sexual assault on campus. The Howard University Department of Public Safety consists of both armed Special Police Officers and unarmed Security Officers who are commissioned or licensed by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Fall 2013 Enrollment: 10,297 (6,974 undergraduate)
Average Violent Crime Rate: 2.88 per 1,000
Murder: 0
Forcible Sex Offense: 16
Robbery: 48
Aggravated Assault: 25
Campus Setting: City (Large)

-Campus crime statistics are three year totals from 2011, 2012, and 2013
-The average violent crime rate is an average of the three-year data shown as a rate per 1,000 students

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Mid-Sized Colleges appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Small Colleges

Kevin Rizzo — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 13:46:47 +0000

Image courtesy of [Benson Kua via Flickr]

Our rankings break up schools into different categories to ensure that the comparisons are as helpful and fair as possible. This list ranks small schools, which include four-year institutions with enrollments between 1,500 to 10,000 students.

Click here to see the data used to create these rankings.

Check out the Top 10 Highest Crime Rates on Small Campuses below:

#1 Highest Crime Rate: Swarthmore College

Image courtesy of Fritz Ward via Flickr

Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, which sits about 11 miles outside of Philadelphia. Swarthmore had an average violent crime rate of 22.60 violent crimes per 1,000 students between 2011 and 2013, giving it the highest violent crime rate among all small colleges. The vast majority of reported crimes at Swarthmore are forcible sex offenses, which make up more than 95 percent of the school’s violent crimes.

In 2013, concerns about the school’s sexual assault policies led the college to hire an independent investigator to review its procedures. Several Swarthmore students also filed a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education claiming that their school mishandled several sexual assault cases. The complaint eventually led to an investigation by the Department of Education. Later that year, President Rebecca Chopp announced sweeping changes to the way the school handles sexual assault cases. Swarthmore hired a full-time Title IX coordinator and took several steps to improve its policies, training, and prevention efforts. To correct past reporting errors, the school reported a total of 89 forcible sexual offenses in 2013* (more than four times as many as the previous two years). While sexual assault remains a significant issue at Swarthmore, the dramatic increase in 2013 most likely reflects changes in the school’s reporting practices rather than a spike in actual incidents of sexual assault.

Fall 2013 Enrollment: 1,534 (all undergraduate)
Average Violent Crime Rate: 22.60 per 1,000 students
Murder: 0
Forcible Sex Offense: 99
Robbery: 1
Aggravated Assault: 4
Campus Setting: Suburb (Large)
*Swarthmore reported a total of 89 forcible sexual assaults in 2013 to correct errors in previous years’ statistics. Eleven of these incidents occurred prior to 2010. As a result, only 78 were included in the average violent crime rate calculation, as the rankings are only based on incidents that happened between 2011 and 2013.

-Campus crime statistics are three year totals from 2011, 2012, and 2013
-The average violent crime rate is an average of the three-year data shown as a rate per 1,000 students

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Editor’s Note: This slide has been updated to more clearly reflect the chronology of the 2013 Title IX complaint.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Small Colleges appeared first on Law Street.

Campus Crime 2015: Small School Data

Kevin Rizzo — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 13:18:29 +0000

Image Courtesy of [Tom Woodward via Flickr]

To see Law Street’s coverage of the Top 10 Highest Reported Crime Rates for Small Colleges click here.

The table below details three-year crime statistics (2011-2013) for all campuses with Fall 2013 enrollment between 1,500-9,999 students.

If you are having trouble viewing the table or are on mobile click here. For best results view in landscape.

*Swarthmore College reported a total of 89 forcible sexual assaults in 2013 to correct errors in previous years’ statistics. Eleven of these incidents occurred prior to 2010. As a result, only 78 were included in the average violent crime rate calculation, as the rankings are only based on incidents that happened between 2011 and 2013.

Research and analysis done by Law Street’s Crime in America team:
Kevin Rizzo, Kwame Apea, Jennie Burger, Alissa Gutierrez, and Maurin Mwombela.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Campus Crime 2015: Small School Data appeared first on Law Street.

Are Police Shootings on the Rise, and Why Isn’t the Government Counting?

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 13:30:53 +0000

Image courtesy of [Brett Myers/Youth Radio via Flickr]

After the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore and several other high profile deaths at the hands of the police, people may ask whether an increasing trend is starting to emerge. Although it is nearly impossible to say for sure, most evidence suggests that police-involved shootings are not really increasing. Instead, these cases have started to garner much more attention among the media and the public.

The deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Eric Gardner in New York, Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Walter Scott in South Carolina, and now Freddie Gray in Baltimore are among a long list of recent deaths that have garnered a substantial amount of public discussion. There are several different explanations for this, notably the availability of video for these incidents and the growing sensitivity to police misconduct among the American public.

In a recent article, CNN interviewed executives at black newspapers who have been covering police shootings of black men for a long time. Tracey Williams Dillard, a publisher of the Minnesota Spokesman-Record told CNN, “It not only feels like there’s more coverage, there is more coverage. … It’s not a perception, it’s definitely real.”

Criminal justice advocates have long decried police officers’ disproportionate use of force against black men, but until recently such instances rarely received national attention. The growing availability of video recordings of police encounters has helped promote the importance of this issue in the public’s consciousness. This is particularly true in the case of Walter Scott, where in the absence of video evidence, media coverage could have been taken in a dramatically different direction. Instead of self defense as officer Slager and the attorney general stated, a video that came out after the fact revealed the murder of a defenseless man attempting to run away from a police officer.

One snapshot of the amount of public attention paid to these incidents can be found in Google search trends. The chart below illustrates the usage of the search term “police shootings” over time. While that is not a definitive example of the public’s interest, it does indicate that since last August police shootings have received more attention than usual.

What does the data say?

It’s clear that police misconduct and the use of force has become a hot button issue in the media and among the public, but do we really know police shootings haven’t increased? Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure. Typically to answer questions about law enforcement and crime we rely on the wide range of available criminal justice data sources; however, there is a glaring lack of information when it comes to officer-involved deaths.

The FBI collects and publishes a wide range of crime and criminal justice statistics in its annual Crime in the United States publication. While these statistics are far from perfect, they are an extremely important measure of crime in America. Unfortunately, the FBI does not have an overall count of people who are killed by police officers. The only available data details the number of justifiable homicides, which involves “the killing of a felon by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty.” This count does not include unlawful killings by police officers. For example, Michael Slager, the officer who shot Walter Scott, now faces murder charges. If he is convicted, Scott’s death would not be considered a justifiable homicide and as a result would not be counted in the FBI’s statistics.

A Wall Street Journal review of the Supplementary Homicide Report from the FBI found that the voluntary nature of submitting data has created significant holes, concluding that there are “hundreds of homicides by law-enforcement agencies between 2007 and 2012 that aren’t included in records kept by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” A recent Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report also cast doubt on the accuracy of various homicide measures. The BJS review found that the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report captured only 46 percent of police killings and the BJS’s Arrest Related Death Program captured only 49 percent. Even after combining these two measures, an estimated 28 percent of police homicides were not counted in 2011.

Congress passed a law last year that will require all law enforcement agencies to track the death of any person in police custody, which includes deaths that occur while being arrested. The Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 is a significant step forward because it requires annual submissions of reports to the Justice Department detailing the name, race, gender, ethnicity, and age of the deceased. The report will also require the attorney general to report these findings to Congress; however, we may have to wait some time to see these statistics as the first report will come “not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.”

FBI Director James Comey and former Attorney General Eric Holder recently called for better data on police officer-involved deaths. This issue is also going to be an important topic in the next CJIS Advisory Policy Board Meeting this summer, where changes to the FBI’s crime-reporting procedures are discussed. But sadly it took several high profile incidents to get the government to count these incidents accurately, and it will take some time before improved statistics are available.

So no, police officer-involved deaths are probably not on the rise; instead media coverage and public attention have increased dramatically. Some may question what caused this to become a national issue, but the more appropriate question seems to be: why wasn’t it an issue already?

Kevin Rizzo

The post Are Police Shootings on the Rise, and Why Isn’t the Government Counting? appeared first on Law Street.

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

Kevin Rizzo — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:30:29 +0000

Image courtesy of [Nick Aldwin via Flickr]

As reported in Law Street’s comprehensive annual crime rankings, Crime in America 2015, violent crime across the United States continued its downward trend according to the latest figures reported by the FBI. Curious to know how your hometown stacks up against the rest of the country? Check out the interactive map below for yourself to see if your city is getting safer or more dangerous according to the latest data.

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.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

The interactive crime map is based on the FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, which was released in January and shows the changes in violent crime from January to June 2014 versus the same period in 2013 — the most recent period for which comprehensive statistics are available. Although this report does not include statistics from every law enforcement agency in the United States, it does provide a general understanding of crime trends across the country. Clicking on cities or states in the table will zoom the map to view the selection, deselecting will return the view to the full map.

If you are having trouble viewing the graphic click here.

The map details the change in violent crime for every city that was included in the FBI’s report. It is important to note that if a city does not have at least three months of comparable data in the past two years, or if it has fewer than 100,000 people, its statistics were not included in the report. For more information on the preliminary semiannual report and its major takeaways, check out our coverage here.

1 The FBI determined that the agency’s data were overreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this report.
2 The population for the city of Mobile, Alabama, includes 55,819 inhabitants within the jurisdiction of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department.
3 Complete January through June data for 2013 are not available.
4 The FBI determined that the agency did not follow national UCR Program guidelines for reporting an offense. Consequently, these figures are not included in this report.
5 The data collection methodology for the offense of rape does not comply with national UCR Program guidelines. Consequently, the agency’s figures for rape and violent crime (of which rape is a part) are not included in this report.
6 The FBI determined that the agency’s data were underreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this report.
7 Because of changes in the local agency’s reporting practices, figures are not comparable to previous years’ data.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Interactive Crime Map: Is Your City Getting Safer or More Dangerous? appeared first on Law Street.

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

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:22:19 +0000

Image courtesy of [Mike Boening Photography via Flickr]

Nearly all of the Most Dangerous Cities over 200,000 on Law Street’s Crime in America rankings followed the national trend of declining violent crime according to new data released today by the FBI. While violent crime across the country is down 4.6 percent, #9 Most Dangerous Newark, New Jersey saw the largest overall decline (18.7 percent) out of the Top 10 cities , followed closely by #1 Most Dangerous Detroit, Michigan with a 15.5 percent drop. Defying the trend, however, was #3 Most Dangerous Memphis, Tennessee, which saw its violent crime increase slightly by 3.4 percent.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2014–the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 appears below as an update to our most recent Crime In America Rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall.

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.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Detroit, Michigan*

Detroit, the most dangerous city over 200,000, experienced a significant decrease in violent crime during the first six months of 2014 relative to the previous year. Detroit, a city of 699,889 people, experienced decreases across every violent crime category leading to an overall violent crime drop of 15.5 percent. The city also saw a notable decrease in murder, which fell by 37 percent. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -15.5% (2013: 7,039; 2014: 5,949)
Murder: -37.0% (2013: 154; 2014: 97)
Rape: -17.1% (2013: 316; 2014: 262)
Robbery: -34.3% (2013: 2,310; 2014: 1,518)
Aggravated Assault: -4.4% (2013: 4,259; 2014: 4,072)

Click here for full coverage of Detroit’s 2015 ranking.

#2 Oakland, California

Oakland, California is the #2 Most Dangerous City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Oakland’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Oakland’s 2015 ranking.

#3 Memphis, Tennessee

Unlike most cities on this list, Memphis experienced a slight increase in violent crime over the first six months of 2014. The data for rape in this city of 657,691 people increased by more than 20 percent along with slight increases in murder, robbery, and aggravated assault. Memphis is one of two cities on this list to experience an increase in violent crime levels. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +3.4% (2013: 5,413 ; 2014: 5,597)
Murder: +6.5% (2013: 66 ; 2014:62)
Rape: +20.1% (2013: 209; 2014: 251)
Robbery: +2.9% (2013: 1,508; 2014:1,552)
Aggravated Assault: +2.6% (2013: 3,634; 2014: 3,728)

Click here for full coverage of Memphis’ 2015 ranking.

#4 St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri, the #4 Most Dangerous City with a population over 200,000 experienced a modest decrease in violent crime in the first six months of 2014. Fueled by a sharp drop in robbery, which was down 12.6 percent, overall violent crime in the city of 318,563 fell by 5.6 percent. Despite the general decline, St. Louis did have a notable increase in its number of murders, which was up by nine cases over the previous year. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -5.6% (2013: 2,419; 2014: 2,284)
Murder: +18.4% (2013: 49; 2014: 58)
Rape: -11.1% (2013: 162; 2014: 144)
Robbery: -12.7% (2013: 680 ; 2014: 594)
Aggravated Assault: -2.6% (2013: 1,528; 2014: 1,488)

Click here for full coverage of St. Louis’ 2015 ranking.

#5 Cleveland, Ohio**

Cleveland, the #5 Most Dangerous City over 200,000 saw a decrease in nearly every category of violent crime during the first six months of 2014, causing overall violent crime in the city of 389,181 people to drop by nearly 10 percent. The only increase occurred in the category of rape, which grew from 250 reported cases in 2013 to 216 in 2014. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -9.7% (2013: 2,725; 2014: 2,461)
Murder: -11.1% (2013: 27; 2014: 24)
Rape: +15.7% (2013: 216 ; 2014: 250)
Robbery: -13.8% (2013: 1,621; 2014:1,397)
Aggravated Assault: -8.3% (2013: 861; 2014: 790)

Click here for full coverage of Cleveland’s 2015 ranking.

#6 Baltimore, Maryland

Overall violent crime in #6 Most Dangerous City Baltimore decreased by nearly 8 percent during the first six months of 2014. The number of murders in the city of 622,671 people dropped from 115 in 2013 to 99 in 2014, a 13.9 percent decrease. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -7.9% (2013: 4,329; 2014: 3,989 )
Murder: -13.9% (2013: 115; 2014: 99)
Rape: -13.4% (2013: 149; 2014: 129)***
Robbery: -7.2% (2013: 1,769; 2014: 1,641)
Aggravated Assault: -7.7% (2013: 2,296; 2014: 2,120)

Click here for full coverage of Baltimore’s 2015 ranking.

#7 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the #7 Most Dangerous City with a population greater than 200,000, held its violent crime levels constant in the first six months of 2014 relative to the previous year. Although the city of 600,805 people saw 29 fewer rapes in 2014, an 18.8 percent decrease, other violent crime categories remained nearly the same. Overall, the city’s violent crime went up by just 0.1 percent. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +0.1% (2013: 3,840; 2014: 3,844)
Murder: +2.7% (2013: 37; 2014: 38)
Rape: -13.8% (2013: 210; 2014: 181)
Robbery: +2.2% (2013: 1,470; 2014: 1,503)
Aggravated Assault: -0.1% (2013: 2,123; 2014: 2,122)

Click here for full coverage of Milwaukee’s 2015 ranking.

#8 Birmingham, Alabama

According to the FBI, Birmingham’s aggravated assault numbers were overreported, which prevents a violent crime total from being accurately determined. Although we cannot tell whether or not the overall violent crime went up or down in the city of 212,001, we do know that it had a very large decrease in the number of murders. The city saw just 19 murders in the first six months of 2014, a decrease of 50 percent from the prior period. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: N/A
Murder: -50% (2013: 38; 2014: 19)
Rape: +6.3% (2013: 79; 2014: 84)
Robbery: -5.4% (2013: 479; 2014: 453)
Aggravated Assault: % change is unavailable (2013: 782)****

Click here for full coverage of Birmingham’s 2015 ranking.

#9 Newark, New Jersey

Overall violent crime decreased significantly in Newark, dropping 18.7 percent in the first six months of 2014 when compared to the first six months of the previous year. This overall decrease was largely a result of declines in the number of robberies and aggravated assaults, which fell by 20.4 percent and 17 percent respectively. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -18.7% (2013:1,666 ; 2014: 1,355)
Murder: +4.9% (2013: 41; 2014: 43)
Rape: -8.7% (2013: 23; 2014: 21)***
Robbery: -20.5% (2013: 1,120; 2014: 891)
Aggravated Assault: -17.0% (2013: 482; 2014: 400)

Click here for full coverage of Newark’s 2015 ranking.

#10 Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri, the #10 Most Dangerous City with a population over 200,000 also experienced a notable decrease in violent crime during the first six months of 2014. The city of 465,514 people saw a decrease in every violent crime category leading to a 14.9 percent drop overall. Most notably, the total number of murders decreased by more than 45 percent, going from 46 cases in the first six months of 2013 to 25 during the same period in 2014. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -14.9% (2013: 2,895; 2014: 2,465)
Murder: -45.7% (2013: 46; 2014: 25)
Rape: -34.9% (2013: 212; 2014: 138)
Robbery: -17.5% (2013: 776; 2014: 640)
Aggravated Assault: -10.7% (2013: 1,861; 2014: 1,662)

Click here for full coverage of Kansas City’s 2015 ranking.

—

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

Click here to see full coverage of Crime in America 2015.

Source: FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2014.

*The FBI determined that the agency’s data were underreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this report.

**Because of changes in the local agency’s reporting practices, figures are not comparable to previous years’ data.

***The data for rape was reported using the FBI’s legacy definition of this offense, not the current revised definition. For further explanation, please click here.

****The FBI determined that the agency’s data were overreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this report.

Kevin Rizzo

The post Nearly All Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Report Drops in Violent Crime appeared first on Law Street.

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

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:20:56 +0000

Image courtesy of [Ani Od Chai via Flickr]

Violent crime among the nation’s mid-sized cities is on a steady decline, according to the most recent data released today by the FBI. Richmond, California and Paterson, New Jersey are standouts in the field, reporting violent crime reductions of 38 percent and 21 percent, respectively for January to June 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. Richmond, the number ten most dangerous city and Paterson, number seven, led Rockford, Illinois (#2) and Springfield, Massachusetts (#6), which also reported modest violent crime declines.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2014–the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000 appears below as an update to our most recent Crime in America Rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall.

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.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas is the #1 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Little Rock’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Little Rock’s 2015 ranking.

#2 Rockford, Illinois

Rockford, Illinois is the #2 most dangerous city with a population under 200,000; however, it showed a marked decline in violent crime during the first half of 2014 versus the same time period in 2013. The city of 150,209 people experienced its greatest declines in the violent crime categories of rape (61 incidents between January and June 2014 versus 78 in the same period in 2013) and aggravated assault (648 versus 747 prior year). Total violent crime in Rockford fell nearly 12 percent from 1,009 incidents in the first half of 2013 to 892 for the same period in 2014. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -11.6% (2013: 1,009; 2014: 892)
Murder: +42.9% (2013: 7; 2014: 10)
Rape: -21.8% (2013: 78; 2014: 61)
Robbery: -2.3% (2013: 177; 2014: 173)
Aggravated Assault: -13.3% (2013: 747; 2014: 648)

Click here for full coverage of Rockford’s 2015 ranking.

#3 New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut is the #3 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, New Haven’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of New Haven’s 2015 ranking.

#4 Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut is the #4 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Hartford’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Hartford’s 2015 ranking.

#5 Springfield, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri is the #5 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 and it showed very little change in its violent crime during the first half of 2014. Data reported to the FBI for January to June 2014 indicates that total violent crime in Springfield increased modestly by 3.7 percent with 942 violent crime incidents versus 908 during the same period in 2013. The city of 163,062 people experienced its greatest increase in violent crime in the category of aggravated assault, reporting 620 incidents versus 580 in the prior period. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +3.7% (2013: 908; 2014: 942)
Murder: -16.7% (2013: 6; 2014: 5)
Rape: +2.3% (2013: 133; 2014: 136)
Robbery: -4.2% (2013: 189; 2014: 181)
Aggravated Assault: +6.9% (2013: 580; 2014: 620)

Click here for full coverage of Springfield, Missouri’s 2015 ranking.

#6 Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts is the #6 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported a slight decrease in violent crime during the first half of 2014. The city of 153,586 people experienced a total violent crime decline of 6.7 percent, with 767 incidents reported during January to June 2014 versus 822 during the same period in 2013. The city’s greatest decrease was in the category of murder (six murders versus 12 during the same period in 2013), and it reported modest declines in both robbery (-7.5 percent) and aggravated assault (-6.2 percent). Reported incidents of rape remained about the same at 45 versus 43 prior year. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -6.7% (2013: 822; 2014: 767)
Murder: -50% (2013: 12; 2014: 6)
Rape: +4.7% (2013: 43; 2014: 45)
Robbery: -7.5% (2013: 281; 2014: 260)
Aggravated Assault: -6.2% (2013: 486; 2014: 456)

Click here for full coverage of Springfield, Massachusetts’ 2015 ranking.

#7 Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson, New Jersey is the #7 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported a large decline in violent crime for the months of January through June 2014 versus the same period in 2013. Total violent crime in Paterson decreased by 21 percent for this period, with 571 incidents reported versus 723 prior year. Most notably, robbery in the city of 145,082 people dropped by over thirty percent (286 incidents versus 414 prior year). Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -21% (2013: 723; 2014: 571)
Murder: +60% (2013: 5; 2014: 8)
Rape*: -18.2% (2013: 11; 2014: 9)
Robbery: -30.9% (2013: 414; 2014: 286)
Aggravated Assault: -8.5% (2013: 293; 2014: 268)

Click here for full coverage of Paterson’s 2015 ranking.

#8 Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan is the #8 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Lansing’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Lansing’s 2015 ranking.

#9 Beaumont, Texas

Beaumont, Texas is the #9 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Beaumont’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Beaumont’s 2015 ranking.

#10 Richmond, California

Richmond, California is the #10 most dangerous city in the country with a population under 200,000; however, it reported the greatest reduction in violent crime out of all cities in the top ten. Richmond, with a population of 107,341 people, reported a nearly 40 percent drop in total violent crime. Most notably, aggravated assault in the city decreased by more than 50 percent and there were five murders versus 12 during the same period in the prior year. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -38.5% (2013: 660; 2014: 406)
Murder: -58.3% (2013: 12; 2014: 5)
Rape**: Not comparable (2013: 20; 2014: 23)
Robbery: -19.6% (2013: 230; 2014: 185)
Aggravated Assault: -51.5% (2013: 398; 2014: 193)

Click here for full coverage of Richmond’s 2015 ranking.

—

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

Click here to see full coverage of Crime in America 2015.

Source: FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2014.

*The figure shown here for the offense of rape was reported using the legacy UCR definition of rape.

**Richmond, California, made the switch from the legacy definition of this offense, to the current revised definition. Therefore, it is not possible to compare the two years.

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 Paterson, NJ and Richmond, CA Report Major Drops in Violent Crime appeared first on Law Street.

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

Anneliese Mahoney — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:18:30 +0000

Image courtesy of [Orbitgal via Flickr]

In the latest Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, the FBI reported a nationwide violent crime decrease of 4.6 percent when comparing the first half of 2014 to the first half of 2013. That’s good news, and for the most part, the Top 10 Safest Cities fell in line with the national trend. Fremont, California, the #3 Safest City in the country, saw a notable violent crime drop of nearly 25 percent; however, some top 10 ranking safe cities cannot say the same. Henderson, Nevada, the #5 Safest City in the country, reported nearly 20 percent more violent crimes as compared with the same period prior year.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2014–the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appears below as an update to our most recent Crime In America Rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall.

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 SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Irvine, California

Overall, the violent crime in Irvine, the safest city in the United States, fell by 16.4 percent. In January to June 2014, murder, rape, and aggravated assault in the city of 235,830 people all fell, although there was a slight uptick in robberies. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -16.4% (2013: 55, 2014: 46)
Murder: -100% (2013: 2; 2014: 0)
Rape: -33.3% (2013: 6; 2014: 4)*
Robbery: +6.3% (2013: 16; 2014: 17)
Aggravated Assault: -19.4% (2013: 31; 2014: 25)

Click here for full coverage of Irvine’s 2015 ranking.

#2 Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert, the second safest city in the United States, saw a slight uptick in crime for this period. The most notable increase for this city of 225,232 was in robbery; over the same months in 2013, Gilbert saw only 23 incidents of the crime; however, in the first six months of 2014, there were 32. Overall, however, Gilbert’s increase in crime was rather small. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +5.8% (2013: 103; 2014: 109)
Murder: -100% (2013: 1; 2014: 0)
Rape: +33.3%* (2013: 6; 2014: 8)
Robbery: +39.1% (2013: 23; 2014: 32)
Aggravated Assault: -5.5% (2013: 73; 2014: 69)

Click here for full coverage of Gilbert’s 2015 ranking.

#3 Fremont, California

Fremont’s crime dropped across the board, including a large drop in rape and robbery cases, and a smaller decrease in aggravated assault. With a nearly 26 percent drop in violent crime for the #3 Safest City in the country with a population of 224,475, Fremont saw the largest drop in crime among all of the safest cities over 200,000. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -25.8% (2013: 155; 2014: 115)
Murder: +/- 0% (2013: 1; 2014: 1)
Rape: -41.7% (2013: 12; 2014: 7)*
Robbery: -36.3% (2013: 80; 2014: 51)
Aggravated Assault: -9.7% (2013: 62; 2014: 56)

Click here for full coverage of Fremont’s 2015 ranking.

#4 Santa Clarita, California

Santa Clarita saw an increase in violent crime of nearly 13 percent in the first half of 2014; robbery and aggravated assault incidences in particular increased. Rape, however, decreased slightly, and the murder rate remained stagnant at just one case for each period for the city of 204,951 people. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +12.6% (2013: 135; 2014: 152)
Murder: +/- 0% (2013: 1; 2014: 1)
Rape: -18.2% (2013: 11; 2014: 9)*
Robbery: +25.7% (2013: 35; 2014: 44)
Aggravated Assault: +11.4% (2013: 88; 2014: 98)

Click here for full coverage of Santa Clarita’s 2015 ranking.

#5 Henderson, Nevada

Of all the Top 10 Safest Cities, #5 ranked Henderson experienced the largest increase in crime. This may be partly because Henderson, a city of 268,237 people, changed the way it defines rape in accordance with revised FBI standards. The more expansive definition may be the reason that the overall crime rate increased by so much. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: +18.6 (2013: 167; 2014: 198)
Murder: -50% (2013: 2; 2014: 1)
Rape: Not comparable (2013: 16; 2014: 33)**
Robbery: -11.5% (2013: 78; 2014: 69)
Aggravated Assault: +33.8% (2013: 71; 2014: 95)

Click here for full coverage of Henderson’s 2015 ranking.

#6 Plano, Texas

Plano, Texas is the #6 Safest City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Plano’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Plano’s 2015 ranking.

#7 Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale, Arizona is the #7 Safest City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Scottsdale’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Scottsdale’s 2015 ranking.

#8 Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia saw the second highest drop in crime among the Top 10 Safest Cities in America. The rape, robbery, and aggravated assault numbers all dropped by an impressive amount, and while murder increased, it still reflects a very small number overall for the city of 450,687 people. Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2014 versus same period in 2013.

Total Violent Crime: -20.3% (2013: 394; 2014: 314)
Murder: +20% (2013: 10; 2014: 12)
Rape: -39.8% (2013: 83; 2014: 50)
Robbery: -22.8% (2013: 158; 2014: 122)
Aggravated Assault: -9.1% (2013: 143; 2014: 130)

Click here for full coverage of Virginia Beach’s 2015 ranking.

#9 Garland, Texas

Garland, Texas is the #9 Safest City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Garland’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Garland’s 2015 ranking.

#10 Chandler, Arizona

Chandler, Arizona is the #10 Safest City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2014 data. According to the FBI, Chandler’s data was incomplete at the Uniform Crime Report deadline. If the data becomes available through the FBI, we will post an update with that information.

Click here for full coverage of Chandler’s 2015 ranking.

—

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

Click here to see full coverage of Crime in America 2015.

Source: FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2014.

*The data for rape was reported using the FBI’s legacy definition of this offense, not the current revised definition. For further explanation, please click here.

**Henderson, Nevada, made the switch from the legacy definition of this offense, to the current revised definition. Therefore, it is not possible to compare the two years.

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

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.

FBI: Animal Abuse Now Top-Tier Crime

Anneliese Mahoney — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 15:53:45 +0000

The FBI is changing the way that it deals with animal abuse. The abuse of animals is going to become a top-tier Group A felony with its own category, similar to homicide or assault. Interestingly, though, the logic behind the new classification of animal abuse has almost nothing to do with animals, and much more with preventative action.

The logic behind the new classification is that abusing animals can be a precursor to significantly more violent behavior. The pop culture archetype of a young child killing the neighbor’s cat, and then going on to become a serial killer, while overdramatic, is rooted in fact. The examples are easy to find and well known, according to PETA:

Albert DeSalvo (the ‘Boston Strangler’), who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats and shot arrows at them through boxes in his youth. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer impaled frogs, cats, and dogs’ heads on sticks. Dennis Rader (the BTK killer), who terrorized people in Kansas, wrote in a chronological account of his childhood that he hanged a dog and a cat. During the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, a psychology professor testified that the teenager, who killed 10 people with a rifle, had ‘pelted—and probably killed—numerous cats with marbles from a slingshot when he was about 14.’

The idea behind changing the way in which the FBI characterizes crimes against animals, is that they may be able to earlier identify these potentially troubled people. Before this change, the crimes were just filed as “other” and characterized as less serious. Often prior issues involving animals are overlooked or fall through the cracks and don’t come out until the perpetrator is arrested for a significantly more serious crime.

The ability to collect and analyze this data will also give more credence to the above theory, and hopefully convince more law enforcement officials that they need to take the abuse of animals seriously, because it could easily turn into the abuse of humans. John Thompson, a retired sheriff from Maryland, pointed out that the aggregation of data will help convince people that the connection between the abuse of animals and future crimes is “not just somebody saying the ‘Son of Sam’ killed animals before he went to human victims and 70-some percent of the school shooters abused animals prior to doing their acts before people.”

The new Group A Felony crimes will require the reporting of a few different kinds of crimes — certain levels of animal neglect, intentional abuse and torture, and organized abuse (such as dog fighting). The new classification will also require the police to review animal cruelty cases more frequently, hopefully helping them to pinpoint patterns. It may also allow them to get help for young people who are found abusing animals.

Another motivation for the new classifications is that they will help prosecutors get convictions, as well as lead to more plea bargains and sway juries.

Overall, this seems like a good move for the FBI. As little as it seemed to have been incorporated into the decision to upgrade animal abuse crimes, it is of course a great thing that more animals will be protected from abuse. And the preventative-measure aspect of the upgrade to classifications, even if it helps pinpoint just a few who have potential to hurt humans, will be worth it.

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead 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.

Featured image courtesy of [Rick Kimpel via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

The post FBI: Animal Abuse Now Top-Tier Crime appeared first on Law Street.

Behind the FBI’s Crime Statistics

Kevin Rizzo — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:15:00 +0000

Here at Law Street, we focus a lot of attention on the FBI’s annual and semiannual crime statistics, yet these numbers often receive a lot of criticism and are generally not seen as a perfect measure of crime in America. However, these statistics remain the best and most official information available to the public.

According to an FBI document on the proper use of its crime reporting statistics, their reports are created for “use in budget formulation, planning, resource allocation, assessment of police operations, etc., to help address the crime problem at various levels.” The FBI’s publications are widely used by the government and by the press to provide the public with important information about trends in crime.

Although these crime reports have several uses as well as significant implications for policy decisions, it is also important to note that they are not perfect. Uniformity and reporting inconsistencies have long been cited by critics of the statistics. One of the primary contributors to these issues is the fact that all of the data provided by the UCR program is submitted voluntarily by individual agencies. As a result, the FBI is only able to provide recording guidelines and is unable to enforce a universal standard in each state.

About the Uniform Crime Report

According to the FBI, the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is “a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of more than 18,000 city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily reporting data on crimes brought to their attention.” Starting with only 400 cities in 1930, the UCR program has expanded to cover over 98 percent of the population from 9,491 cities in 2012.

The data collected by the UCR is voluntarily submitted by nearly every law enforcement agency in the country, and details the “offenses known to law enforcement,” persons arrested, and police employee data for all participating agencies.

Comparing Cities

The FBI also strongly cautions data users from ranking states, cities, and other localities against each other. According to the FBI, their main argument against ranking is the fact that each city is unique and has different explanations for its crime levels, as well as the fact that there are several contributors to crime that are not apparent in the UCR’s raw data.

We have previously justified our reasons for ranking when our initial coverage of Crime in America was released, but it is important to remember why crime information is so important. We make a specific point to include as much contextual information as possible in our rankings and general Crime in America coverage.

Having said that, there are still several issues with the consistency and uniformity of the UCR that prevent a perfect comparison between different cities and their crime statistics. All but three states in the U.S. have their own state UCR Program, which receives crime reporting information from the agencies in its jurisdiction then passes that information along to the FBI. Consequently, there is a lot of variance between how states report their crimes.

To help alleviate several standardization issues the FBI created the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in the late 1980s. The NIBRS was intended to improve recording practices and gather additional information on offenses. Currently, there are only 31 state UCR Programs that are certified for NIBRS participation. Of those states only 10 report directly using the programs, while the other 21 are in different stages of testing or planning and development.

Other states use the Summary Reporting System (SRS), which covers the same crimes, but does not have as well-defined categories to prevent misclassification and provide expanded information. The lack of a centralized and universally used system has long prevented proper standardization of crime statistics. Also, because the NIBRS is not used everywhere the FBI must convert data submitted using that system to the Summary Reporting System for its annual and semiannual crime reports.

Lack of Standardization

One consequence of the UCR’s lack of standardization is the fact that when changes to the system occur the adjustment process becomes very complicated and typically takes a long time. This can be seen in the adaptation of the FBI’s new definition of rape, which was updated to be more inclusive just this year. Although the change was recent, only some of the cities and states have started using the new definition. It will take several years before all of the 1,800 plus law enforcement agencies to voluntarily adjust their recording methods. In the meantime, the public will have to wait before a more realistic understanding of rape offenses in the U.S. is available.

Despite the new definition of rape, the FBI was still unable to aggregate a violent crime statistic for Chicago in its most recent release. The Chicago Police Department does not report its rape statistics, rather it uses a broader classification called “criminal sexual assault.” Although rape was redefined, the FBI’s definition is still incompatible with the one used in Chicago. Consequently, the city’s violent crime total has been left off the FBI’s report for several years.

Another important issue with the Uniform Crime Report is the issue of city boundaries, which frequently vary in the amount area that is included within the official city limits. As a result, law enforcement agencies are able to include statistics for areas that would not generally be considered part of the city. The inclusion of statistics from cities’ surrounding areas like suburbs, which are generally perceived as safer than the urban core, can have a deflationary effect on crime rates. One notable example of this issue is the case of St. Louis, which has its boundaries drawn tightly around the urban core. As a result, violent crime rates tend to be higher for areas with greater population density, while expansive city boundaries often yield lower numbers in terms of violent crime per capita.

Reporting Issues

The FBI’s uniform crime report often falls under scrutiny for its use of what is called “The Hierarchy Rule.” According to the FBI, this rule “requires counting only the highest offense and ignoring all others.” While it is important to note that this only affects crime reporting and not the actual number of charges against a defendant, it may still lead to incomplete violent crime statistics. Although the NIBRS system does not follow this rule and records each offense individually, its numbers must be converted to the Summary Reporting System for the UCR, which only takes the highest crime in the hierarchy.

Finally, there have been several challenges to the accuracy or reporting done by individual cities, and while a systemic problem remains to be seen there have been multiple incidents of reporting errors. The most recent example of this occurred in Milwaukee, where an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed a trend of underreported crime. The Journal Sentinel’s findings prompted a police department review that found over 5,300 underreported aggravated assaults during a six-year period, a 20 percent rate of error. As a result of these misreported crimes, the city’s violent crime rate in 2011 was reported to have decreased by 2.3 percent, when in reality it actually went up by 1.1 percent from the previous year, which also included underreported numbers. Similar problems have been large cities like New Orleans, New York City, and Dallas.

Although there has been a lot of criticism about the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, it remains the most official and accurate source of information available to the public. It represents a significant undertaking from the FBI to aggregate and organize a massive amount of data for public consumption. Despite the UCR’s drawbacks, the FBI has worked to respond to its critics and is continually trying to improve the accuracy of its data.

—

Correction: The original version of this article misstated the number of law enforcement agencies that participate in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. There are about 18,000 law enforcement agencies not 1,800.

Kevin Rizzo (@kevinrizzo10)

Featured Image Courtesy of [Flickr]

Kevin Rizzo

The post Behind the FBI’s Crime Statistics appeared first on Law Street.

Crime Drops 20 Percent in St. Louis; Hot-Spot Policing Credited

Kevin Rizzo — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 11:30:50 +0000

St. Louis has consistently been ranked one of the most dangerous cities in America over the last several years, yet the latest violent crime statistics indicate that the tide may be turning as a result of many new policing changes. St. Louis is ranked as Law Street’s #3 Most Dangerous City over 200,000; however, the FBI’s latest crime statistics indicate that total violent crime in St. Louis decreased by more than 20 percent in the first half of 2013. Additional data published by the St. Louis Police Department (SLMPD) indicates that violent crime was down 10.3 percent for the full year.

According to the most recent SLMPD statistics, robberies decreased by 18 percent, and aggravated assaults went down 11.3 percent. Despite a slight increase in cases of murder, from 113 in 2012 to 120 in 2013, the level remains below the five-year average of 136. Instances of rape also increased in 2013, rising 67.3 percent; however, that was likely a result of the use of a new and more inclusive definition of rape that was adopted last year. 2013 marked the fewest number of total crimes recorded in St. Louis since 1966; the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report data indicates that violent crime has decreased in St. Louis every year since 2006, with the largest annual drop occurring in 2010 (-15.61 percent).

“Since 2006, crime in the city of St. Louis is down almost 50 percent,” Chief of Police Sam Dotson said in a phone interview Monday, March 3, 2014. He further attributed much of this improvement to the police department’s hot-spot policing strategy, which was created to better allocate department resources. “Hot-spot policing is not a program, it is the way we do business every day,” Dotson said.

The St. Louis police force has also emphasized the coupling of what Dotson calls “self-initiated activity” with a new data-driven approach in an effort to further decrease crime. The department’s partnership with Professor Rick Rosenfeld from the University of Missouri-St. Louis has helped them analyze what practices are most effective. Dotson notes that police officers may need to rethink the way they approach certain crimes. He cites the example of robbery, which statistically speaking is best prevented by occupied car stops, yet most officers generally think pedestrian checks are more effective. He hopes to adapt additional new strategies that emphasize quantifiable trends to give St. Louis’ officers as much of an advantage as possible.

According to Chief Dotson, St. Louis is “probably ahead of the curve in reductions,” yet he still sees obstacles in the future. He states that as policing strategies improve so do the tactics of criminals, so he plans to make his department more flexible and able to adapt to future challenges.

The city of St. Louis took over local control of its police force from the state last September, and has since devised several plans for restructuring and improvements. This change marked the first time the department has been operated locally since the Civil War, returning accountability and control to city officials. Since the city has taken over, the department implemented a new redistricting solution at the end of January, cutting the number of districts from nine to six.

The previous districts existed for more than 50 years and were established when the city had a population around 750,000 and more than 2,200 officers on the street. Now the city has 318,667 people and 1,866 officers, according to the FBI’s 2012 police employee data.

One of the largest issues people saw with the old system was the unequal distribution of workload. Chief Dotson noted that “one district over a three year period had 90,000 more [911] calls than the slowest district.” The new plan was devised to even out the amount of crime and the number of officers across each new district. Many city officials believe that this change is well overdue, including Mayor Francis Slay who tweeted his support in January:

Monday’s shift to new police districts should improve response times, make prevention more likely. #fgs

— MayorSlay.com (@MayorSlay) January 25, 2014

Chief Dotson was reluctant to comment on the further decrease in overall crime in 2014, which statistics show has gone down in St. Louis by more than 20 percent in the first two months. He did say, however, that he was encouraged by the numbers that have managed to go down despite a notable increase in stolen cars. St. Louis will likely be a city that receives national attention in the future, as people wait to see how recent police department changes affect overall crime levels.

Although St. Louis has been experiencing a notable decline in violent crime, there are many who argue that the size of its statistical reporting area draws unnecessary attention to local crime. Unlike many cities of similar size, St. Louis’ crime report only includes urban areas rather than incorporating the suburbs and surrounding parts, which tend to have less crime. Many, like Dotson and Rosenfeld, argue that the smaller reporting area may cause the city to appear much more dangerous than it actually is. Comparisons to other cities aside, the numbers show that St. Louis has taken important strides to improve public safety and reduce violent crime within its boundaries.

—

Kevin Rizzo (@KRizzo10)

Note: This article has been updated to include quotes from an interview with St. Louis Chief of Police Sam Dotson.

Featured image courtesy of [Kevin McCoy via Wikipedia]

Kevin Rizzo

The post Crime Drops 20 Percent in St. Louis; Hot-Spot Policing Credited appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2014

Chelsey D. Goff — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 20:25:14 +0000

On February 18, 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released preliminary crime statistics for the first six months of 2013. Today Law Street analyzes and brings important context and perspective to this raw data in order to bring you emerging trends. When the full-year data is published by the FBI in the fall, we will publish new coverage, including our annual Top 10 Safest and Most Dangerous Cities rankings. Please refer to Crime in America 2013 for the most recent definitive rankings and full-year coverage. Check back with Crime in America 2014 as we continue to dig into the emerging trends in crime across the country.

Preliminary 2013 Trends
Latest FBI Data is Mixed Bag for Top 10 Safest Cities
New FBI Data Shows Crime Dropping; Some Top 10 Dangerous Defy Trend
New FBI Data for Dangerous Mid-Sized Cities: Crime Drops, Flint Stands Out

Coverage
Crime Drops 20 Percent in St. Louis; Hot-Spot Policing Credited
Infographic: Crime Dropping Across the US
Latest Data Shows Violent Crime Across America is Down
Redefining Rape: The FBI’s Latest Statistics

Prior Year Coverage
Crime in America 2013

Chelsey D. Goff

The post Crime in America 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

New FBI Data Shows Crime Dropping; Some Top 10 Dangerous Defy Trend

Chelsey D. Goff — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 19:18:18 +0000

Violent crime across the United States continues its downward trend, according to data released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Nationally, violent crime in the first six months of 2013 decreased by 5.4 percent. But the results were decidedly mixed for Law Street’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000, with only half of those cities showing a decrease in crime.

A notable highlight of today’s FBI data came in St. Louis, Law Street’s number three Most Dangerous City over 200,000, where violent crime declined more than 20 percent. The decrease was all the more notable because a change in how rape is reported resulted in a large increase for St. Louis in that category. More broadly, the reporting of rape increased in many cities due to the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape. Stockton, Calif., Law Street’s number five Most Dangerous City over 200,000, also was a standout, with violent crime in the city declining by nearly 21 percent.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2013 — the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 appears below as an update to our original rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall. Click here for developing Crime in America 2014 coverage.

1. Detroit, Mich.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
The city of Detroit experienced an overall decrease in violent crime of 4.5 percent in for the first six months of 2013 compared to the first six months of 2012. Although Motor City saw a slight increase in robbery, aggravated assault and murder both declined by 12.22 percent and 8.48 percent, respectively. It is important to note that while the city technically reported an increase of 46.48 percent in rape, it is one of the many localities using the new, expanded FBI definition of forcible rape, and therefore the year-over-year data is not comparable.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -4.50%
Murder: -8.48%
Rape: +46.48%*
Robbery: +8.07%
Aggravated Assault: -12.22%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF DETROIT’S 2012 RANKING

2. Oakland, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Oakland experienced a ten percent increase in overall violent crime during the first six months of 2013 over the same period in 2012. Although murder, rape, and aggravated assault all dropped measurably, the city had 592 more instances of robbery during this period — an increase of 30.37 percent. Important to note, however, is that Oakland’s reported rapes dropped by approximately one third in the first six months of 2013.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +10.86%
Murder: -15.09%
Rape: -34.07%
Robbery: +30.37%
Aggravated Assault: -8.69%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF OAKLAND’S 2012 RANKING

3. St. Louis, Mo.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
St. Louis provides an interesting case study for the first six months of 2013. Despite a sixty percent increase in reported rapes over the same period in 2012 (associated with the FBI’s expanded definition of forcible rape), violent crime in the city decreased by more than 20 percent. This significant change is due in large part to St. Louis’ major declines in murder, robbery, and aggravated assault.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -20.11%
Murder: -15.52%
Rape: +60.40%*
Robbery: -22.46%
Aggravated Assault: -23.29%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF ST. LOUIS’ 2012 RANKING

4. Memphis, Tenn.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Overall, violent crime in Memphis remains generally constant, with a modest decline of 4.38 percent during the period of January to June 2013. The city’s reports of robbery, aggravated assault, and rape (the figure for which is not comparable to 2012 figures due to the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape) all decreased by five percent or less; however, murder in Memphis increased by 7.14 percent.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -4.38%
Murder: +7.14%
Rape: -5.14%*
Robbery: -3.95%
Aggravated Assault: -4.68%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF MEMPHIS’ 2012 RANKING

5. Stockton, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Unlike Oakland, the city of Stockton, Calif. experienced a 20.99 percent decrease in overall violent crime during the first six months of 2013. Each relevant violent crime category reported a significant drop, most notably a 63.64 percent decrease in murder (from 33 during this period in 2012 to 12 in 2013), and a 28.23 percent decline in robbery.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -20.99%
Murder: -63.64%
Rape: -12.50%
Robbery: -28.23%
Aggravated Assault: -16.62%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF STOCKTON’S 2012 RANKING

6. Birmingham, Ala.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
According to the FBI, the city of Birmingham did not report preliminary 6-month figures in 2012; therefore we cannot indicate trends for this time period.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME REPORTS
Data below reflects reports for period January to June 2013.
Total Number of Violent Crimes: 1,468
Total Number of Murders: 39
Total Number of Rapes: 79
Total Number of Robberies: 455
Total Number of Aggravated Assaults: 895

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF BIRMINGHAM’S 2012 RANKING

7. Baltimore, Md.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Baltimore’s violent crime rate remained fairly constant from January to June 2013 versus prior year, with a slight increase of 1.62 percent. With the addition of ten murders and 147 robberies for this time period, Charm City is slightly ahead of its prior year violent crime rate with 692.12 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +1.62%
Murder: +9.52%
Rape: -2.61%
Robbery: +9.06%
Aggravated Assault: -3.53%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF BALTIMORE’S 2012 RANKING

8. Cleveland, Ohio

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Violent Crime is up in Cleveland for the first six months of 2013 versus the same time period in 2012. The reporting of rape is up 17.34 percent in accordance with the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape, as is robbery; however, murder and aggravated assault in the city was down significantly, with decreases of 27.78 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +7.49%
Murder: -27.78%
Rape: +17.34%*
Robbery: +11.79%
Aggravated Assault: -23.00%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CLEVELAND’S 2012 RANKING

9. Atlanta, Ga.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Atlanta carries its continuing decrease in violent rime into 2013 with a drop of 9.75 percent from January to June. The city experienced declines in three out of four violent crime categories, most notably a 21.27 percent drop in aggravated assaults (which made up nearly 60 percent of its overall violent crime in the entire year of 2012).

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -9.75%
Murder: -5.26%
Rape: -13.33%
Robbery: +11.23%
Aggravated Assault: -21.27%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF ATLANTA’S 2012 RANKING

10) Milwaukee, Wis.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Violent crime in Milwaukee increased slightly year over year during the period January to June 2013. A major point to note is that the FBI’s new, expanded definition of forcible rape significantly impacted the city’s rape statistics, as the category increased by over one hundred percent for this period. Robbery in the city increased by more than 16 percent; however, murder and aggravated assault both dropped.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +5.27%
Murder: -8.11%
Rape: +101.90%*
Robbery: +16.37%
Aggravated Assault: -5.41%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF MILWAUKEE’S 2012 RANKING

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

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2013.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

*The figure shown for the 2013 rape offense was reported using the new definition of rape and is not comparable to previous years’ historical forcible rape data.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post New FBI Data Shows Crime Dropping; Some Top 10 Dangerous Defy Trend appeared first on Law Street.

Crime in America 2013

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:30:47 +0000

In the United States, more than 80 percent of our citizens reside in cities and suburbs, and the safety of each varies greatly across the nation. Law Street Media’s Crime in America feature provides the first comprehensive look at the FBI’s current crime statistics for every American city with a population over 100,000 people. Take a look at the rankings and features below to discover how safe your city actually is. Check back regularly for continued reporting and additional features.

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kasandra Cisneros, Valeriya Metla, Asim Mian, and Kevin Rizzo.

Sources: FBI 2012 Uniform Crime Report, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Chelsey D. Goff

The post Crime in America 2013 appeared first on Law Street.

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:30:52 +0000

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.

Variables Affecting Crime

Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

Consider Other Characteristics of a Jurisdiction

To assess criminality and law enforcement’s response from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, one must consider many variables, some of which, while having significant impact on crime, are not readily measurable or applicable pervasively among all locales. Geographic and demographic factors specific to each jurisdiction must be considered and applied if one is going to make an accurate and complete assessment of crime in that jurisdiction. Several sources of information are available that may assist the responsible researcher in exploring the many variables that affect crime in a particular locale. The U.S. Census Bureau data, for example, can be used to better understand the makeup of a locale’s population. The transience of the population, its racial and ethnic makeup, its composition by age and gender, educational levels, and prevalent family structures are all key factors in assessing and comprehending the crime issue.

Local chambers of commerce, government agencies, planning offices, or similar entities provide information regarding the economic and cultural makeup of cities and counties. Understanding a jurisdiction’s industrial/economic base; its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions; its transportation system; its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and convention attendees); its proximity to military installations, correctional facilities, etc., all contribute to accurately gauging and interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement.

The strength (personnel and other resources) and the aggressiveness of a jurisdiction’s law enforcement agency are also key factors in understanding the nature and extent of crime occurring in that area. Although information pertaining to the number of sworn and civilian employees can be found in this publication, it cannot be used alone as an assessment of the emphasis that a community places on enforcing the law. For example, one city may report more crime than a comparable one, not because there is more crime, but rather because its law enforcement agency, through proactive efforts, identifies more offenses. Attitudes of the citizens toward crime and their crime reporting practices, especially concerning minor offenses, also have an impact on the volume of crimes known to police.

Make Valid Assessments of Crime

It is incumbent upon all data users to become as well educated as possible about how to understand and quantify the nature and extent of crime in the United States and in any of the more than 18,000 jurisdictions represented by law enforcement contributors to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.

Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subjects of investigation by many disciplines. 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.
Modes of transportation and highway system.
Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability.
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 of 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.

Crime in the United States provides a nationwide view of crime based on statistics contributed by local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. Population size and student enrollment are the only correlates of crime presented in this publication. Although many of the listed factors equally affect the crime of a particular area, the UCR Program makes no attempt to relate them to the data presented. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, counties, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment. Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction, they can make no meaningful comparisons.

Uniform Crime Report Ranking Disclaimer is from the FBI.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

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

Why We Rank: The Public’s Right to Know

John A. Jenkins — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:30:40 +0000

America is a nation of lists. We rate and rank colleges and universities, hospitals, school systems, governmental entities, college football teams, movies, songs (with a bullet), and just about anything else that matters to us, from the frivolous to the most serious.

And crime is one rating that really matters to all of us.

Law Street’s Crime in America utilizes the FBI’s comprehensive collection of crime statistics from 286 American cities to provide a valuable perspective on personal safety in the United States. The FBI releases these statistics annually, and in doing so it performs a significant public service. We at Law Street are engaged in a journalistic service of our own by analyzing and further disseminating the FBI’s results.

If the past is a guide, our Crime in America rankings will be met with criticism by cities with high crime rates and welcomed by those deemed safest. Scholars who rely on the FBI data as the starting point for their own analyses will nonetheless register their objections. Even the FBI hasn’t been spared this criticism, to the point where the agency now even publishes its own disclaimer. We, too, repeat the FBI’s disclaimer.

Criminologists have received millions of dollars from the federal government in recent years to tell the FBI how it could do a better job of crime data gathering and dissemination – you can read one such report for yourself and see whether it is worth the $4.5 million that the Justice Department paid for it. Looking at that report, one thing that stands out is that the researchers could not easily come to terms with how to make the FBI’s reporting better or more meaningful. And that is not surprising, because crime is as much about perception as it is about reality. A city with some very safe streets may still rank among the most dangerous overall. And although rankings alone cannot tell the whole story, there is still a certain validity to them from a purely qualitative level. Where do you feel safer: strolling the streets of Flint, or Irvine?

In the end, the rankings are what they are – imperfect measures, but illuminating nevertheless. And although some cities may argue against them in order to protect tourism dollars – a few years ago, St. Louis business interests spent $500,000 on a PR campaign against the crime rankings – those same cities also use the rankings to their advantage, to argue for more resources with which to fight such high levels of crime. In fact, that is exactly what is happening in St. Louis. Once ranked Most Dangerous, it was the only city in the Top 10 this year where violent crime significantly dropped.

Acknowledging the limitations of the FBI data doesn’t mean the agency’s reporting is without great value. In fact, the crime data gathered by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program is used by states and localities to target crime-fighting resources, and by the federal government to direct billions of dollars in federal taxpayer dollars to local police forces who urgently need the funding. Without the FBI’s crime data, such federal programs could not exist; crime-fighting accountability would be weakened; and the public would be denied its right to know. That is why we rank.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

John A. Jenkins

John A. Jenkins is Founder & CEO of Law Street Media. Contact John at jjenkins@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Why We Rank: The Public’s Right to Know appeared first on Law Street.

Crime Statistics – Law Street

What Do Crime Trends Look Like in America’s Largest Cities?

What Do Motor Vehicle Theft Rates Look Like Across the U.S.?

Crime in America 2017

Rankings

Interactive Dashboard

Charts and Data

NOTES

Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

#1 Irvine, California

Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

#1 Rockford, Illinois

Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES UNDER 200,000

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES OVER 200,000

#1 St. Louis, Missouri

Research Shows a Recent Surge in Hate Crimes Against Muslims

Infographic: Visualizing Crime in America 2016

For an even more in-depth look at Law Street’s crime coverage check out Crime in America 2016.

The Transgender Murder Crisis: Why Were There So Many Killings in 2015?

Why Are Trans People Getting Murdered?

How Many Trans Murders Were There in 2015?

What Can Be Done?

Conclusion

Resources

Violent Crime Ticks up Slightly in First Half of 2015

Crime Rates in the Most Popular U.S. Travel Destinations

Click here to see the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here to see the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Click here to see all of Law Street Media’s Crime in America Coverage

New York, New York

As Anti-Islamic Rhetoric Grows, Hate Crime Against Muslims May be Rising

Crime in America 2016: Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

Read More: Crime Rankings for the Midwest, Northeast, South, and West

Read More: Interactive Crime Map of the United States

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Midwest Metros

Read More: Crime Rankings for the Northeast, South, and West

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

Read More: Interactive Crime Map of the United States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the Midwest

Top 10 Safest Metros in the Midwest

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

Read More: Crime Rankings for the Midwest, South, and West

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

Read More: Interactive Crime Map of the United States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

Top 10 Safest Most Dangerous Metros in the Northeast

Click here to see full Crime in America 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the South

Read More: Crime Rankings for the Midwest, Northeast, and West

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

Read More: Interactive 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 2016 Coverage, including the Safest & Most Dangerous Cities and States.

Crime in America 2016: Safest & Most Dangerous Metros in the West

Read More: Crime Rankings for the Midwest, Northeast, and South

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

Read More: Interactive Crime Map of the United States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Metros in the West

Top 10 Safest Metros in the West