Dangerous Cities – Law Street

ICYMI: Best of the Week

Alexis Evans — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 14:34:33 +0000

Find out what’s buzzing on Law Street by catching up on the best stories from last week. Our 2017 rankings for “Crime in America” are out, so check out the top ten safest and most dangerous cities over 200,000. Also, learn more about Instagram’s censoring of legal medical marijuana posts. ICYMI–Check out the top stories below!

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

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. Read the full article here.

2. Instagram is Censoring Accounts With Pictures of Legal Weed

Instagram has been deleting accounts that contain pictures of marijuana, even if the location where the account is based has legalized the drug in some form. Two companies in Canada, where medical marijuana is legal, recently had their accounts shut down by the social media giant after featuring pictures of legal weed. Read the full article here.

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

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. Read the full article here.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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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

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

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:55:04 +0000

Image courtesy of [Mike Boening via Flickr]

Detroit is the most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 for a third year in a row. Although Detroit remains at the top of the list, its violent crime decreased by about 4 percent. Indianapolis, Indiana also makes its first appearance on the list this year at number 10. All statistics are based on 2014 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 Detroit, Michigan

Image courtesy of Mike Boening via Flickr

Detroit, Michigan is the most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 for the third year in a row. Although Detroit remains at the top of the list, it did experience another decrease in crime, with its violent crime rate going down by 4 percent in 2014. The city saw a decrease in three of the four categories of violent crime, with drops in the number of murders, rapes, and robberies. Detroit had 18 fewer murders in 2014 than it did in the previous year, putting its total at the lowest point in 47 years. Over half of the city’s violent crimes were aggravated assaults, which went up by about 4.5 percent from the previous year. Detroit’s downward trending crime is a good sign for the city, which has been plagued with challenges after it declared bankruptcy in the summer of 2013.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,989/100,000 people
Murder Rate: 44/100,000 people
Population: 684,694
Officer to Population Ratio:1:295
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

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ICYMI: Best of the Week

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

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

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

The Springfield, Illinois metro area is the number one most dangerous metro in the Midwest. According to the latest crime data from the FBI, which covers calendar year 2013, the Springfield metro had a rate of 768 violent crimes per 100,000 people. On the other end of the spectrum, the Wausau, Wisconsin metro is the safest in the Midwest with 93 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Read full article here.

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

#3 The Elkhart Four Await Indiana Supreme Court Decision

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

Chelsey D. Goff

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

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

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

Image copyright of [Law Street Media]

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

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.

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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.

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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

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

ICYMI: Best of the Week

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

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

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

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

#3 Crime in America 2015: Full Coverage

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

Chelsey D. Goff

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

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

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

Image courtesy of [Geoff Llerena via Flickr]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anneliese Mahoney

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

Flint and Chicago Are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings

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

Image courtesy of [Michigan Municipal League via Flickr]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anneliese Mahoney

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

Crime in America 2015

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

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

Rankings

Safest and Most Dangerous States

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Top 15 Most Dangerous Metro Areas

Metro Area Rankings

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the Midwest

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the Northeast

Safest and most Dangerous Metro Areas in the South

Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Areas in the West

Interactive Dashboard

Crime Trends in America’s Largest Cities

CHARTS AND DATA

Interactive Map: Crime by Metro Areas

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

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

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

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

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

Flint and Chicago are Still Dangerous Despite Absence From Rankings

Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10

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

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

Top 10 Safest Cities in 2015: By the Numbers

2013
Uniform Crime Report

2012
Uniform Crime Report

2011
Uniform Crime Report

NOTES

Chelsey D. Goff

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

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

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

Image courtesy of [Nicolas Henderson via Flickr]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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

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

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

Image courtesy of [Dan DeLuca via Flickr]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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

Crime Ranking Methodology

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

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

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

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

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

The post Crime Ranking Methodology appeared first on Law Street.

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

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

Image courtesy of [Infratec via Wikipedia]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

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

Image copyright of Law Street Media.

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

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

Usefulness of UCR Data

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

Pitfalls of Ranking

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

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

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

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

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

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

Promoting Responsible Crime Analysis

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

Click here to read more Crime in America 2015 coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

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

Community Policing in New Jersey: A Model for Stopping Local Violence

Jake Ephros — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:31:16 +0000

Paterson, New Jersey erupted last month after a 12-year-old girl was shot and killed. People rallied for an end to the recent violence, demanding a safer city in the wake of Genesis Rincon’s death. The tragedy comes shortly after Jerry Speziale was appointed as the new police director. Advocating community policing, Speziale and Mayor Jose Torres think that dynamic approaches can help with the crime problem in Paterson. This may seem like a interesting new strategy for fighting local crime and violence, but successful community policing programs were successfully used in Paterson not that long ago.

One such community policing program, the Village Initiative, operated from 1998 to around 2010 and had some measurable benefits for local youth. What did the Village Initiative accomplish, can community policing prevent further deaths like Rincon’s, and what can other cities learn from Paterson?

Paterson has long been plagued by high crime rates. The year that the Village Initiative launched, its violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was roughly 67 percent higher than the national average. The Village Initiative responded to the crime problem in Paterson by bringing the community to at-risk juvenile probationers, making them responsible for their court orders, and reducing their chances of committing a crime again.

In an interview, Dr. James Pruden said that it’s important “for [juveniles] to see the government functioning positively in their lives.” An emergency medical specialist at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, Pruden was an active contributor to the Village Initiative who rode along with officers to visit at-risk probationers. Along with police, teachers, and other community leaders, he saw the program in action and witnessed its effects firsthand.

The Village Initiative

The Village Initiative offered important opportunities to minors such as vocational courses; from business training to cosmetology and automotive repair, the courses gave them opportunities to build marketable skills. In addition, there were components that set juveniles up for part-time jobs. These are no longer available, though. Around 2010, the Village Initiative lost much of its funding, likely related to the city’s other budget cuts during the midst of the national recession. Fortunately, the “ride along with a medical evaluation” that Pruden participated in continued after the funding stopped, along with a few other pieces of the program.

“They had this educational piece, they had the medical piece, they had the business piece, all designed to turn these kids in a different direction and to show them that the interest in them was not only because they were misbehaving,” said Pruden. The community was not simply responding to the negativity surrounding the juveniles’ lives, it was about instilling something positive in them. This should be the central tenant of all community policing initiatives.

“It’s not like I’m providing much of a medical service. What I would do was go to the house, find out what was going on, talk to them about their health issues… At the end of it, I would go back with the data the next day and talk to a case manager at the hospital. She would call them up and make sure they made their cardiology appointment, or she would cut through the red tape to facilitate their entry to the teen pregnancy program. And we would do this not only for patients that came to our hospital, we do this for people who go to free-standing clinics or to other hospitals.”

– Dr. James Pruden

The Results

St. Joseph’s Hospital sometimes treats rival gang members simultaneously, and the hospital could become a spot for continued dispute between them. As that conflict can be detrimental to the doctors and families there, Pruden was tasked with making the hospital a neutral zone. Through the social infrastructure of the Village Initiative, he reached out to community leaders to establish correspondence and set up meetings with gang members. After eight months of work,Pruden succeeded in negotiating with the gangs so that St. Joseph’s would be a safer space.

Anecdotes like that help illustrate the positive community relationships formed by the Village Initiative. But what do statistics tell us about its effects? Despite sharing some criticism about how data on the program was collected, Dr. Pruden said that the available information shows impressive results. Prior to the Village initiative, juveniles with first-time probation had a 37 percent recidivism rate; however, kids involved in the Village Initiative had recidivism rates of only 5 percent. But, he reminded me, “then the funding went away!”

As Pruden says, maybe the effects of the Village Initiative could be judged solely by the difference between a 37 percent and five percent recidivism rate. Maybe it could have only made changes in the lives of the specific juveniles who were involved in the program. But it could also be judged by the potential, immeasurable impact that ripples throughout the community, starting with those juveniles.

Lessons from the Village Initiative

From local advocates to national movements, community policing is in high demand now. For instance, more cops are patrolling neighborhoods on bicycles as a part of a community policing initiative in Lowell, Massachusetts. Nationally, the Obama Administration has ramped up the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office under the Department of Justice. A COPS report, Community Policing Defined, states that the approach “promotes organizational strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques.”

However, COPS is sometimes criticized for pushing policing in the opposite direction; reporter and author Radley Balko said that COPS supports many police chiefs who consider SWAT raids “to be a core part of a community policing strategy.” As police aggression only divides the police and the community, there is even more need to prescribe the Village Initiative. If Balko is correct and many have misconceptions, the country should find a model for community policing in the success of Paterson’s project.

Pruden’s work through the Village Initiative was not just a medical house call, but a social checkup. This should be how community policing looks, with community leaders working with one another. Police supervise medical evaluations, doctors help police at-risk youth, and the force of the community creates something positive together. Let’s prescribe the Village Initiative’s community policing in New Jersey to other cities in need.

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Jake Ephros (@JakeEphros)

Featured image courtesy of [City of North Charleston via Flickr]

Jake Ephros

Jake Ephros is a native of Montclair, New Jersey where he volunteered for political campaigns from a young age. He studies Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at American University and looks forward to a career built around political activism, through journalism, organizing, or the government. Contact Jake at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Community Policing in New Jersey: A Model for Stopping Local Violence appeared first on Law Street.

What’s New: Police Brutality is the Norm in Oakland

Kevin Rizzo — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 16:35:49 +0000

Recently, an independent investigation into 22 years worth of court filings revealed a history of misconduct by the Oakland Police Department. Among the findings is the conclusion that the police department spent $74 million in civil rights lawsuit settlements, as well as an emerging trend of brutality among decorated officers.

Oakland Police Beat is a project created by Oakland Local, which provides an unprecedented look at police department records and statistics about the history of the Oakland Police Department. The research was conducted by a small team of journalists and interns, who seek to improve transparency in the local police force as well as reveal historical trends using publicly available statistics and court records. The site is funded by The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

The most notable finding revealed by Oakland Police Beat so far concluded that the city has spent a considerable amount of money for settlements on civil rights cases. According to their research, the Oakland Police department spent $74 million on settlements for at least 417 cases involving misconduct, brutality, and civil rights violations. They also note that Oakland ranks third amongst California cities (that make data publicly available) for highest settlement payouts.

The project also identified an alarming trend among Oakland’s decorated police officers. Oakland Police Beat found that 40 percent of the 35 most decorated officers were part of one or more officer-involved shootings- a total 29 shootings. Of the same group of officers, 61 percent were named in civil rights lawsuits, 14 of which were in two or more cases. Finally, at least four of the 35 most decorated officers were involved in the police response of the Occupy Oakland protests of 2011 and 2012. Oakland Police Beat notes that this response “used chemical agents as well as beanbag and explosive projectiles during violent clashes.” The city has already spent over $6 million in settling lawsuits related to these incidents.

Oakland Police Beat went through 1,368 lawsuits and complaints that were filed from Jan. 1, 1990 to Jan. 1, 2013. They focused on settled cases, which they found represented roughly 75 percent of the cases filed against the OPD. Using public records the organization was able to identify how many cases were civil rights related and then used those as the basis for their conclusions.

Although anyone can file a lawsuit against the police department, Oakland Police Beat noticed that over 100 cases were dismissed by the court. However, the remaining 417 civil rights cases that were settled outside of court represent instances that the police department determined were substantive enough to deal with. Alex Kats, the City Attorney’s Chief of Staff, told Oakland Police Beat that expected costs are often an important factor in deciding to settle a case. The city will typically settle out of court if they foresee that the costs of litigation or a judgment are higher than settlement. This course of action also does not require the police department to admit fault. It is important to note that in settled cases, there must typically be some legitimate claim made to prevent it from being thrown out by the court.

Why Oakland?

In addition to being ranked by Law Street as the second most dangerous city over 200,000, the Oakland police department has faced issues with its officer’s use of force in the past. The issue first came about with “the Riders” scandal in 2000, where a group of officers were alleged to have planted evidence and excessively beat suspects which sparked an investigation into the police force. Although after two mistrials, prosecutors decided not to attempt a third criminal trial, the civil suit marked a very important settlement.

The terms of the settlement agreement required Oakland to pay out nearly $11 million to the plaintiffs, implement 51 reforms to the police department, including new guidelines for officer’s use of force, as well as dismiss the three accused officers from the police force. Despite settling in 2003, the city has not yet complied with the full terms of the agreement and currently faces problems managing its crime levels.

Oakland Police Beat’s in-depth research into the Oakland Police Department reveal several startling conclusions about police brutality and civil rights cases, and will continue release further findings over the next several weeks. The project marks an never before seen look into Oakland’s historically troubled police force, and provides further understanding as to why Oakland is ranked the third most dangerous city in America.

—

Kevin Rizzo (@kevinrizzo10)

Featured Image Courtesy of [Flickr/Gregory Veen]

Kevin Rizzo

The post What’s New: Police Brutality is the Norm in Oakland 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

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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.

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

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:30:57 +0000

Click here for FBI crime data

Although most crime in the United States occurs in densely populated areas, there are several large cities that somehow manage to keep their crime levels low despite their sizes. These cities beg the question: what factors make one city safer than another?

To properly compare and analyze these cities, we group them into large and small categories. A large city is considered to be one that has a population greater than 200,000 people. We then further adjust for population by ranking each city by its violent crime rate, which is the measure of how many violent crimes occurred per 100,000 people in 2012.

Violent crime is defined by the total number of murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and forcible rapes during the year. Although murder is included in the aggregate violent crime rate, we also report the murder rate separately for each city.

For additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology, click here.

Here are the 10 safest cities over 200,000 in the United States based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report Statistics released September 16, 2013:

1. Irvine, Calif.

Irvine is rated number one on our top ten safest cities list because it has the lowest amount of violent crime by population. What is the secret of its security and prosperity? Irvine is a planned city that was developed by the Irvine Company in the 1960s. The overall design incorporates ample common spaces, townships with commercial centers, schools and churches. Although Irvine has more than 200,000 residents, it had only 110 reported instances of violent crime in 2012. Its police officer to population ratio and low murder rate further indicate how safe Irvine is. Demographic and economic factors provide a picture of a prosperous upper-middle class city. The population of the city is predominantly white (50.48 percent) and Asian (39.16 percent) with a small proportion of Hispanics and blacks. University of California Irvine is the top employer, providing more than 14,000 jobs for its residents. Two important factors influence Irvine’s low danger rating: the overall economic prosperity and relative homogeneity of its residents; and city’s unique design that further reinforces community development and integration.

Violent Crime Rate: 50.57 per 100,000 people

Population: 217, 528

Murder Rate: 0.92 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:1083

Median Household Income: $85,615

Unemployment Rate: 5.7 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #1

2. Gilbert, Ariz.

The most notable aspect of Gilbert’s low level of crime is the number of police officers that the city employs. Having only one officer for every 965 people, Gilbert has a very efficient policing system given that it had only 205 instances of violent crime and 5 murders in 2012. Because Gilbert is such a safe city to live in it has recently experienced significant population growth. As a result, its police force may need to dramatically expand as people continue to flock to the city. Gilbert has been able to successfully target its few police officers to increase police visibility and keep its crime rate low.

Violent Crime Rate: 95.68 per 100,000 people

Population: 214,264

Murder Rate: 2.33 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:965

Median Household Income: $80,090

Unemployment Rate: 5.3 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #2

3. Plano, Texas

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Plano’s unemployment rate in 2012 was 9.45 percent, which shows a steady decline since 2010. One reason for Plano’s prosperity and security is a high concentration of companies such as Frito-Lay, JC Penney, EDS and Perot Systems, which provide steady career opportunities to its residents. The majority of its population work in trade, transportation, education, healthcare, and business services. In addition, Texas’ pro-business climate and lack of personal and corporate income taxes further stimulates economy and investments in the city. The murder rate in Plano is significantly lower than the national average, which reflects a moderate officer to individual ratio with only 339 total officers employed. Steady job growth and a favorable business climate in Plano direct its development toward economic expansion and crime reduction.

Violent Crime Rate: 130.74 per 100,000 people

Population: 214,264

Murder Rate: 2.33 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:807

Median Household Income: $83,239

Unemployment Rate: 9.45 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #3

4. Fremont, Calif.

Due to its convenient location in the Bay area of San Francisco, Fremont is in the center of Silicon Valley, with more than 30 clean tech companies and advanced manufacturing enterprises. The city is also booming with green and high tech information technology jobs. It was ranked number one by Size-Up.com in terms of start-up businesses per capita and voted the second most innovative city in America by The Daily Beast. The high median income of the residents attracts population growth, emergence of new businesses, and safety of the community. The unemployment rate has also steadily declined since 2010. Fremont has the lowest police officer to population ratio of all the cities on our list, and it is an affluent, progressive, and safe city.

Violent Crime Rate: 139.77 per 100,000 people

Population: 218,927

Murder Rate: 0.09 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 1251

Median Household Income: $92,655

Unemployment Rate: 7.6 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #5

5. Scottsdale, Ariz.

With only 147 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, Scottsdale takes the number five spot on our list of safest large cities in America. Scottsdale is a homogeneous city: 89.27 percent of its population is white and over the age of 45. Most of its residents work in healthcare, information technology, education, and city government. One of the biggest employers in Scottsdale is General Dynamics 4C Systems, which produces communication and information technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense, federal and intelligence agencies, and several international customers. The officer to population ratio is fairly high in Scottsdale which also contributes to its safety and low murder rate. Thus, the vibrant economy, high officer to population ratio and median age of Scottsdale’s residents contributes to the safety and advancement the city.

Violent Crime Rate: 147.25 per 100,000 people

Population: 223,432

Murder Rate: 0.13 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 557

Median Household Income: $71,564

Unemployment Rate: 7.52 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #6

6. Henderson, Nev.

The population of Henderson is predominantly white (76.89 percent) with equal proportions of African American and Asian residents. The murder rate per 100,000 people is 0.15 which is very low, and consistent with the low officer to population distribution. The unemployment rate in Henderson is the highest among all cities on our list, but it has been steadily declining since 2010. The city provides many educational, recreational, and business opportunities for its population. Its close proximity to the Las Vegas Strip, and carefully planned residential communities also increase economic opportunities and the quality of its residents’ lives. The second largest city in Nevada, Henderson incorporates an abundance of recreational and community facilities, including award-winning parks and recreation centers. The high standard of living, strong sense of community, and financial stability of Henderson’s residents all foster safety and security within the city.

Violent Crime Rate: 168.90 per 100,000 people

Population: 263,469

Murder Rate: 0.15 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 803

Median Household Income: $66,606

Unemployment Rate: 17.06 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #7

7. Virginia Beach, Va.

With close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and a diverse mix of industries, Virginia Beach has a strong economy and low level of crime. Major employers such as Naval Air Station Oceana, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, and Sentara Healthcare provide jobs for more than 17,000 residents. The city has the largest concentration of military personnel outside the Pentagon, and it is also a popular tourist destination with 5 million visitors annually. Virginia Beach is a dynamic community with very low murder and violent crime rates as a result of the right mix of industrial complexes in the city, presence of military personnel, and tourism.

Violent Crime Rate: 169.35 per 100,000 people

Population: 447,588

Murder Rate: 0.47 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 571

Median Household Income: $58,568

Unemployment Rate: 13.4 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #4

8. Irving, Texas

Although the median income level in Irving is lower than the national poverty line, the unemployment rate is rather low, and has continued to decline since 2010. Irving is home to 50 Fortune 500 headquarters, which has spurred great economic development. The infrastructure and government of Irving also promote favorable conditions for the creation of small businesses, and further development of major industries. The murder rate is consistent with other cities on our top 10 list, while the officer to population ratio is rather high. One very notable aspect of Irving is its high levels of diversity, as the most diverse zip code in America is located within its city limits. Economic opportunity in Irving has created a very community-friendly environment, which further contributes to its low level of violent crime.

Violent Crime Rate: 226.33 per 100,000 people

Population: 224,007

Murder Rate: 0.13 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 680

Median Household Income: $47,248

Unemployment Rate: 8.38 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #9

9. Garland, Texas

Garland is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which gives the city many economic advantages. Garland is a middle class community with a relatively low rate of unemployment. The murder rate is also very low which explains the 1:758 police officer to population ratio. White residents constitute a large portion of the city’s population at 57.46 percent, with significantly lower percentages of Asian and black residents. However, there is a significant number of Hispanics in the city, as they account for 37.81 percent of its total population. Garland is focused on further development and revitalization of its diverse communities through an array of initiatives and programs that help to organize and advance different neighborhoods. Public safety is also improved by a variety of community programs, including Neighborhood Crime Watch and Crimestoppers. Garland’s stable economy helps keep crime levels low; however it is primarily the community-oriented population that helps keep the city safe for its residents.

Violent Crime Rate: 229.80 per 100,000 people

Population: 234,984

Murder Rate: 0.3 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:758

Median Household Income: $49,156

Unemployment Rate: 8.76 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #8

10. Chula Vista, Calif.

Chula Vista has a rather low unemployment rate and fairly high median income level. The city is relatively diverse, with whites accounting for 53.70 percent, Hispanics 37.81 percent, Asians 14.37 percent, and blacks 4.6 percent. The city has a dynamic small business community, which serves as a stable base for economic growth and development. The tourism industry helps provide employment and an influx of spending into the economy. Chula Vista is on our safest cities list due to its advantageous coastline location, wide array of small businesses and tourist hot spots, and its safe environment.

Violent Crime Rate: 232.56 per 100,000 people

Population: 249,830

Murder Rate: 0.32 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:1189

Median Household Income: $67,265

Unemployment Rate: 10.34 percent

Safest City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #11

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

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI 2012 Uniform Crime Report.

Median household income is measured from 2007-2011, and is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unemployment rate statistics come from 2012 data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

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

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Featured image courtesy of [David Eppstein via Wikipedia]

Kevin Rizzo

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

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

Chelsey D. Goff — Mon, 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.

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

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:30:08 +0000

Click here for FBI crime data

In the United States, there is a disproportionately high level of violent crime in densely populated areas; however, crime levels in similar-size cities vary to a wide degree. This calls us to investigate what factors make certain cities safer or more dangerous than others.

To properly compare and analyze these cities, we group them into large and small categories. A large city is considered to be one that has a population greater than 200,000 people. We hen further adjust for population by ranking each city by its violent crime rate, which is the measure of how many violent crimes occurred per 100,000 people in 2012.

Here are the 10 Most Dangerous Large Cities in the United States based on the FBI’s most recent Uniform Crime Report statistics, released September 16, 2013:

1. Detroit, Mich.

Detroit holds its place atop our list of the Most Dangerous Large Cities, and is second only to Flint, Mich. in the overall rankings, as it continues to suffer from a long term decline in population and employment. Detroit’s $18 billion bankruptcy filing in July was the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Although the city’s unemployment rate has dropped from its peak of 18.2 percent in July 2009, it remains well above the national level. In the 1950s, Detroit was the fifth-largest city in the United States with nearly 2 million residents, but now fewer than half as many people call it home. The city has an estimated 78,000 abandoned homes spread across 140 square miles — a vast expanse that contributes to Detroit’s infamous 58-minute police response time. The city ended the year with a total of 386 murders and 15,009 violent crimes in 2012.

Violent Crime Rate: 2122.91 per 100,000 people

Population: 707,096

Murder Rate: 54.59 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:275

Median Household Income: $27,862

Unemployment Rate: 10.5 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #1

2. Oakland, Calif.

Historically, crime has been a problem for Oakland, but in 2012 the number of reported violent crimes reached a decade high point. Despite its high crime rate, the city’s officer-population-ratio reveals that Oakland has relatively fewer sworn officers than many of the major cities on this list. Recently, the city re-implemented a gang violence reduction plan that had been effective in the past for Oakland, as well as for other California cities. The plan known as Operation Ceasefire emphasizes a problem-oriented policing approach to crime hot spots. The focus is on gun trafficking and gang violence. Operation Ceasefire marks a big change for the Oakland police department, which hopes that prioritizing the most urgent emergency calls will significantly reduce local crime.

Violent Crime Rate: 1993.31 per 100,000 people

Population: 399,487

Murder Rate: 31.79 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:638

Median Household Income: $51,144

Unemployment Rate: 8.1 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #3

3. St. Louis, Mo.

Although St. Louis moved down in the rankings from its number two spot last year, it has consistently been ranked as one of the most dangerous cities over the past seven years. St. Louis recently encountered significant budgeting pressures due to its expanding public pension costs. As a result, the city’s police department was forced to cut back on the number of its patrolling officers. St. Louis is also set to lose a federal grant at the end of this year that covered the cost of 20 officers, causing Police Chief Sam Dotson to fight hard for budget increases. Dotson also emphasizes “hot-spot” policing, which involves increasing patrols in dangerous areas during times when crimes are most likely to occur. Criminologist Richard Rosenfeld argues that the reason St. Louis is ranked so high is, in part, a matter of geography. If suburban crime statistics were included, the crime rate would be diluted.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,776.46 per 100,000 people

Population: 318,667

Murder Rate: 35.46 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:241

Median Household Income: $34,402

Unemployment Rate: 7.6 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #2

4. Memphis, Tenn.

For the second year in a row, Memphis holds its position as the fourth most dangerous large city in America, and was ranked sixth overall in 2012. In addition to Memphis’ rank, Tennessee claimed the number one spot in the ranking of the most dangerous states in terms of violent crime per 100,000 people.

According to a Gallup poll last year, only 55 percent of the Memphis population responded that they feel safe in the city, the lowest percentage among the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas. With an unemployment rate of 11.1 percent and a major proportion of the city living under the poverty line, Memphis is ranked number one as the nation’s poorest city by its collected census data. The city ran a $26.5 million budget deficit, and projections indicate that this figure could rise to as high as $36.5 million if the current tax rate remains the same. With all the economic disadvantages Memphis is facing it is no surprise that it remains high in the rankings of most dangerous large cities.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,750. 28 per 100,000 people

Population: 657,436

Murder Rate: 20.23 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:272

Median Household Income: $37,072

Unemployment Rate: 9.0 Percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #4

5. Stockton, Calif.

Stockton, like Detroit, is another city that recently filed for bankruptcy after running up a debt of $900 million to the California Retirement System Fund. Because the city’s main focus has been on getting its debt paid off, Stockton has been unable to devote more resources to curtailing its high level of violent crime. Pension promises are on the verge of collapse, leading to dramatic budget cuts that have gutted essential public services such as the fire and police departments. Although Stockton’s unemployment rate has decreased slightly over the past two years, it remains very high at 15.2 percent. With 71 murders in 2012 and a median household income of $45,606, the city ranks number five on this list.

Violent Crime Rate: 1547.95 per 100,000 people

Population: 299,195

Murder Rate: 23.74 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:904

Median Household Income: $47,365

Unemployment Rate: 15.2 Percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #8

6. Birmingham, Ala.

Birmingham moved down one spot in 2012 to sixth place on our list of most dangerous large cities. Although Birmingham has a relatively low unemployment rate, the median household income is under $32,000, well below the national average of $52,762. Nearly 25 percent of Birmingham’s residents live below the poverty line, almost 10 percentage points below the national average of 14.3. Although Birmingham moved down in the rankings, its violent crime rate per 100,000 residents experienced a slight increase, from 1483 in 2011 to 1,517 in 2012. The city also experienced a notable increase in murders, going from 54 in 2011 to 67 in 2012. The high murder rate in Birmingham has prompted academics to take a closer look at the city and the many social factors that contribute to crime.

Population: 213,266

Murder Rate: 31.42 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:247

Median Household Income: $31,898

Unemployment Rate: 6.4 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #5

7. Baltimore, Md.

Baltimore maintains its status as the seventh most dangerous large city in America for the second year in a row. Although Baltimore is near the bottom of the list in terms of violent crime per capita, it ranks third in murders per 100,000 residents among all large cities. Although the violent crime rate in Baltimore actually dropped between 2011 and 2012, murders in the city increased notably. Murder is not Baltimore’s only problem; a recent ABC News article called it the “heroin capital of the United States.” Baltimore has more sworn officers than most cities, ranking second highest among all large cities, and the highest among cities on this list. even with one officer for every 211 residents, the city’s large police presence has done little to prevent violent crime and murder. Recent numbers indicate that murders in the city remain high in 2013, as Baltimore just witnessed its 200th murder this year.

Violent Crime Rate: 1405.71 per 100,000 people

Population: 625,474

Murder Rate: 34.85 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:211

Median Household Income: $40,100

Unemployment Rate: 7.2 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #7

8. Cleveland, Ohio

For 2012, Cleveland moved from the ninth to eighth most dangerous large city. Cleveland experienced a significant increase in murders, rising from 74 in 2011 to 84 in 2012. Crime in Cleveland has also garnered significant media attention as several high-profile cases have recently emerged. Cleveland has been in the national spotlight for three major headline grabbing crimes in recent years, all of which were accounts of violent crime. Four years ago, police found 11 decomposed bodies inside a home in East Cleveland, another man was sentenced to 1,000 years in prison for kidnapping and murder this summer, and recently Cleveland prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man who allegedly kidnapped and killed three women. No one has been able to explain the prevalence of high profile crimes in Cleveland as the city’s crime statistics are similar to many others on this list, yet cases like these continue to surface.

Many point to the high level of poverty and unemployment in the city as the primary contributors to the city’s crime level. Cleveland has a very low median household income of $27,470, and according to the Census Bureau more than 32 percent of its population lives below the poverty line.

Violent Crime Rate: 1,383.76 per 100,000 people

Population: 393,781

Murder Rate: 21.33 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:266

Median Household Income: $27,470

Unemployment Rate: 7.1 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #9

9. Atlanta, Ga.

With crime levels in Atlanta remaining relatively constant when comparing the 2011 and 2012 reports, the city dropped three spots to ninth on our list. Atlanta had 6,027 violent crimes in 2012, almost 60 percent of which were aggravated assaults. Overall, the city experienced a slight reduction in its violent crime rate, which fell from 1,432 to 1,379 per 100,000 people. The downward trend continued with its 2012 murder rate, which reached its lowest level in the last 50 years. However, Atlanta has been in the news recently after the Justice Department questioned the city’s use of over $400,000 of federal grant money intended for reducing neighborhood crime. City officials also faced scrutiny regarding claims that many neighborhoods have experienced decreases in crime, with the watchdog journalists at Politifact concluding that such claims are false.

Violent Crime Rate: 1379.05 per 100,000 people

Population: 437,041

Murder Rate: 18.99 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:246

Median Household Income: $45,946

Unemployment Rate: 8.8 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #6

10) Milwaukee, Wis.

Milwaukee jumped 13 places this year to replace Buffalo N.Y. as the 10th most dangerous large city in 2012. Ranked 23rd in 2011, Milwaukee has experienced a dramatic increase in crime: the city’s violent crime rate has gone up by 22.8 percent from 2011. However, these changes are largely due to the Milwaukee Police Department’s crime reporting issues that were revealed in 2011 by The Milwaukee Sentinel. According to the newspaper, the police department misreported to the FBI more than 500 violent crime incidents as minor assaults. The newspaper also reported that the downward trend in violent crime that the Milwaukee police department had boasted over the past five years may actually be a result of misreporting. In other words, what looks like a dramatic increase in the amount of violent crimes in 2012 may actually reflect police efforts to correct its reporting system.

Violent Crime Rate: 1294.47 per 100,000 people

Population: 599,395

Murder Rate: 15.18 per 100,000 people

Officer to Population Ratio: 1:314

Median Household Income: 43,397

Unemployment Rate: 7.4 percent

Dangerous City Over 200,000 Rank in 2011: #23

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

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI 2012 Uniform Crime Report.

Median household income is measured from 2007-2011, and is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Unemployment rate statistics come from 2012 data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

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

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Featured image courtesy of [Bradley Siefert via Flickr]

Kevin Rizzo

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

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

Kevin Rizzo — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:30:02 +0000

Click here for FBI crime data

In the United States, there is a disproportionately high level of violent crime in densely populated areas; however, crime levels in similar size cities vary widely. This calls us to investigate what factors make certain cities safer or more dangerous than others. To properly compare and analyze these cities, we group them into large and small categories. A large city is considered to be one that has a population greater than 200,000 people. We then further adjust for population by ranking each city by its violent crime rate, which is the measure of how many violent crimes occurred per 100,000 people in 2012. Violent crime is defined by the total number of murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and forcible rapes during the year. Although murder is included in the aggregate violent crime rate, we also report the murder rate separately for each city.

For additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology, click here.

Here are the 10 most dangerous small cities in the United States based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report Statistics released September 16, 2013:

1. Flint, Mich.

Flint, Michigan is the most dangerous city in America for the second year in a row. Flint had 2,729 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2012, which reflects a notable increase from 2,336 in 2011. The city also had the highest murder rate in 2012 with 61 murders occurring for every 100,000 residents.

Flint was once a productive manufacturing city, but was one of the worst victims of the automotive decline in America. As many local factories shut down and moved away, very little was done to attract new jobs and the city was left to decay. As a result, Flint’s population has dramatically declined, losing approximately 18 percent of its residents in the last 12 years. The unemployment rate in Flint in 2012 was 9.5 percent, and although that reflects a significant improvement from its peak at 14.5 percent in 2009, it remains very high relative to the national average. Additionally, Flint still has a low median income, which, according to the Census Bureau, is at almost half of the nationally determined poverty line. Arguably the largest contributor to crime in Flint is its extremely low number of police officers relative to its population. Flint ranks 218th in terms of officers per population among cities with over 100,000 residents, but first in terms of violent crime per population.

Violent Crime Rate: 2729.46 per 100,000 people Population: 101,632 Murder Rate: 61.99 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 854 Median Household Income: $26,621 Unemployment Rate: 9.5 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #1

2. New Haven, Conn.

New Haven is the first of three Connecticut cities featured on our list of dangerous small cities. New Haven has frequently found itself listed as one of the most dangerous cities in America over the past several years, prompting officials to make policing changes. The police department has reported recent improvements in crime rates as well as community trust in officers due to increased presence and visibility. Although the New Haven police department has started to increase the number of patrolling officers to promote its new community oriented policing strategy, many believe that the economic inequality needs to be addressed before a reduction in crime can occur.

Violent Crime Rate: 1439.19 per 100,000 people Population: 129,934 Murder Rate: 13.08 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 561 Median Household Income: $39,094 Unemployment: 12.1 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #4

3. Rockford, Ill.

Ranking number three on our list is Rockford, Illinois. Poverty is a major issue for the city, with a an unemployment rate of over 11 percent (though this represents a sharp decrease from a high of 19 percent in 2010). This may be the reason why Rockford has the second highest rate of aggravated assaults among small cities in the U.S., and the eighth highest among all cities with a population over 100,000. Its annual median household income is well below the poverty line, which the Census Bureau determined to be less than $50,052. With a disproportionately large amount of violent crime it is no surprise that Rockford is ranked number three on our list.

Violent Crime Rate: 1367.76 per 100,000 people Population: 152,293 Murder Rate: 5.91 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 561 Median Household Income: $38,864 Unemployment Rate: 11.4 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #3

4. Hartford, Conn.

Like many other cities in Connecticut, gang violence in Hartford continues to be one of the major contributors to crime. According to an internal police report, gang activity has spread throughout the entire city, and has even begun reaching a large number of juveniles. An article on NBC’s Connecticut news site estimates that there are nearly 4,000 gang members in the city, 800 of whom are reportedly under the age of 17. Furthermore, there are nearly 140 different gangs in existence as of 2009, and although gangs vary in their contributions to crime, the numbers show that they are a very visible feature of the city.

Violent Crime Rate: 1321.85 per 100,000 people Population: 125,203 Murder Rate: 18.37 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 261 Median Household Income: $64,007 Unemployment Rate: 8.4 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #5

5. Little Rock, Ark.

Little Rock has one of the highest murder rates in the country, ranking second among all of the small cities in the United States. With nearly 23 murders per 100,000 people, Little Rock has recently been experiencing serious problems. The city endured 10 murders in July 2012 alone, the most murders in a month since 1993. Following a 1994 HBO documentary on the city’s violent criminal activity, gang presence remains a major issue and cause for concern.

Violent Crime Rate: 1315.45 per 100,000 people Population: 196,055 Murder Rate: 22.95 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 520 Median Household Income: $44,392 Unemployment Rate: 6.5 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #2

6. Bridgeport, Conn.

Bridgeport faces major street violence issues, prompting Mayor Bill Finche to sign a controversial ordinance instituting a curfew in order to crack down on crime. The mayor believes this will give the CTPD additional assistance in restricting local street violence. According to the mayor, most crime among the city’s youth occurs in the early evening, which is the time targeted by this new ordinance. Bridgeport is Connecticut’s largest city in terms of population, and its high level of gang activity reflects what appears to be a statewide problem.

Violent Crime Rate: 1205.23 per 100,000 people Population: 146,030 Murder Rate: 15.07 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 353 Median Household Income: $40,947 Unemployment Rate: 7.8 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #11

7. Richmond, Calif.

Richmond, California, ranking number seven on our list, has recently increased investment in its police force; however, crime continues to rise in the area. Despite the increase in public safety spending, Richmond still lags behind most cities on this list in terms of officer to population ratio. The Richmond police have also faced significant issues with clearing murder cases, which may be influenced by the high level of gang presence and violence in the city.

Violent crime rating: 1092.55 per 100,000 people Population: 106,357 Murder Rate: 16.92 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 182 Median Household Income: $54,554 Unemployment: 14.6 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #13

8. Odessa, Texas

Although Odessa has the lowest unemployment rate among the cities on this list, its police department has been facing several personnel and funding issues. With only one officer for every 709 residents, Odessa’s police force is undermanned compared to many cities of similar size. Recent requests for additional officers have been rejected due to budgetary constraints, preventing the city from reaching its goal of two officers for every 1,000 people.

Violent Crime Rate: 1064.31 per 100,000 people Population: 103,635 Murder Rate: 4.82 per 100,000 Police Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 709 Median Household Income: $50,813 Unemployment: 4.2 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #34

9. Paterson, N.J.

Paterson’s crime level is considered by many to be a result of the city’s high level of poverty, unemployment and gang violence. Paterson is also one of the more prominent victims of industrial decay, as the once working class city has continued to decline over the past several decades. There seems to be a very strong connection between Paterson’s economic decline and high crime rate, further indicating that unless its economy is able to rebound, the level of crime in Paterson is unlikely to improve. Additionally, many community members blame the local education system, which they believe needs to be improved in order to curtail gang activity and youth violence.

Violent Crime Rate: 1054.72 per 100,000 people Population: 147,148 Murder Rate: 14.27 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1: 371 Median Household Income: $34,301 Unemployment: 16.5 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #10

10. Springfield, Mass.

Rounding out the list is Springfield, Massachusetts, which, according to the FBI, has the 10th highest level of violent crime per capita among small cities in the United States. Springfield’s high levels of violent crime and gang activity have lead its police department to adopt Iraq-style “counterinsurgency” strategy. This strategy involves community building in which officers work to solve the underlying problems that contribute to crime. Increased police visibility has also been used to help combat issues with gangs in an attempt to make Springfield residents feel more secure. Although many members of the local police department believe these strategies will help, the jury is still out on the effect of the these new efforts and Springfield remains one of the most dangerous American cities in 2012. Violent Crime Rate: 1039.36 per 100,000 people Population: 154,518 Murder Rate: 7.12 per 100,000 people Officer to Population Ratio: 1:420 Median Household Income: $52,762 Unemployment Rate: 7.9 percent Dangerous Small City Rank in 2011: #9

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

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI 2012 Uniform Crime Report

Median household income is measured from 2007-2011, and is from the U.S. Census Bureau

Unemployment rate statistics come from 2012 data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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

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

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Featured image courtesy of [Michigan Municipal League via Flickr]

Kevin Rizzo

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

Dangerous Cities – Law Street

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#1 Detroit, Michigan

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#1 Detroit, Michigan*

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

#2 Oakland, California

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

#3 Memphis, Tennessee

Click here for full coverage of Memphis’ 2015 ranking.

#4 St. Louis, Missouri

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#5 Cleveland, Ohio**

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#6 Baltimore, Maryland

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#7 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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#8 Birmingham, Alabama

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#9 Newark, New Jersey

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#10 Kansas City, Missouri

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

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

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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Little Rock, Arkansas

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

#2 Rockford, Illinois

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

#3 New Haven, Connecticut

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

#4 Hartford, Connecticut

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#5 Springfield, Missouri

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#6 Springfield, Massachusetts

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#7 Paterson, New Jersey

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#8 Lansing, Michigan

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#9 Beaumont, Texas

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#10 Richmond, California

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Stockton and Atlanta Drop Out of Most Dangerous Cities Top 10

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