The Justice Department sent letters to a handful of so-called “sanctuary cities” on Thursday, denying them crime-fighting resources until they increase compliance with federal immigration authorities. The letters were in response to requests to take part in the DOJ’s Public Safety Partnerships (PSP) initiative, which would provide additional federal resources to jurisdictions with higher than average crime rates.

The letters, sent to the police chiefs of Baltimore, Albuquerque, and Stockton and San Bernardino in California, said:

Your jurisdiction has expressed interest in receiving assistance through the PSP program. Based on our review, we have concluded that your jurisdiction has levels of violence that exceed the national average, that your jurisdiction is ready to receive the intensive assistance the Department is prepared to provide, and that your jurisdiction is taking steps to reduce its violent crime.

But those four jurisdictions are all sanctuary cities, meaning their officers do not fully cooperate with federal authorities to enforce national immigration laws. So before those cities can participate in the PSP program, they must give federal authorities access to jails. They also must “honor a written request from [Department of Homeland Security] to hold a foreign national for up to 48 hours beyond the scheduled release date,” according to the letters. The cities must show proof of compliance by August 18.

The letters mark the second time in a week that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has threatened to withhold funds from sanctuary cities. Last week, he said cities must comply with federal authorities seeking detainees held on immigration violations–or else they would not receive federal grants. But federal judges have recently ruled that withholding grants from cities that limit compliance on immigration matters is illegal.

Announced in June, the PSP is a “training and technical assistance program designed to enhance the capacity of local jurisdictions to address violent crime in their communities,” according to a statement from Sessions that accompanied the letters. Twelve locations have been selected for the program so far.

Sessions, in a statement on Thursday, said sanctuary cities “make all of us less safe.” He added: “The Department of Justice is committed to supporting our law enforcement at every level, and that’s why we’re asking ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions to stop making their jobs harder.”

Of the requests to the sanctuary cities looking to take part in the PSP initiative, Sessions said: “By taking simple, common-sense considerations into account, we are encouraging every jurisdiction in this country to cooperate with federal law enforcement.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post DOJ Denies More Crime-Fighting Resources for Four Sanctuary Cities appeared first on Law Street.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio likes to repeat the claim that New York City is the “safest big city” in the United States. It’s a superlative that he frequently touts, but when you take a closer look at the underlying evidence behind this assertion, he may be overstating his case. While New York is the safest among America’s very large cities, that only holds true if you look at a particularly small group of highly populated metropolises.

This particular claim is one that Mayor de Blasio repeated last week in a statement responding to the appeals court ruling on President Trump’s executive order on immigration. Here’s the full statement:

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just said, ‘No you can’t,’ to the Trump Administration and its un-American travel and refugee bans. Here in New York – the safest big city in America – we will always protect our neighbors, no matter where they came from or when they got here. Those are our values.

And here’s a tweet from last June repeating the same claim:

NYC: Still the safest big city in America. pic.twitter.com/GTktjlcCqL

— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 3, 2016

To be fair to de Blasio, there is some subjectivity when it comes to interpreting what he’s saying. Namely, there is no clear, universally accepted definition of what counts as a large city. And assuming he’s talking about population, there is no agreed upon size that makes a city large or small. At Law Street, we set a threshold of at least 200,000 residents to define large cities, but given that de Blasio is mayor of a city with about 8.5 million people, he might only be thinking of a smaller group of very large cities.

So what does the data tell us? When thinking about safety, we typically look to the FBI’s annual crime statistics, which detail the number of violent crimes known to law enforcement in various cities, states, counties, etc. This data, part of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, is particularly useful because it provides the same data for nearly every city in the country. To compare between multiple cities, we take the total number of violent crimes–a category that includes murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault–and adjust it by population to calculate a violent crime rate per 100,000 people. In 2015, the most recent full year with FBI data, New York City had a crime rate of 586 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

In order to test Mayor de Blasio’s claim, we need to look at New York in the context of other large cities. If we use the 200,000 population threshold, New York does not have the lowest violent crime rate. Only when you raise the threshold significantly–looking only at cities with populations larger 1.5 million people–does New York have the lowest crime rate.

Using the table below, you can switch between different population thresholds to see how New York’s crime rate stacks up against other cities. Each city’s murder rate per 100,000 people is also included for comparison.

As you can see, using such a narrow definition for what qualifies as a large city means including New York and just five other American cities–Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia. In the most narrow sense, the Mayor’s claim is accurate when you limit the scope of comparable cities, but you may also want to compare New York to other cities that may not be quite as big. Ultimately, evaluating this claim comes down to how big a city should be in order for it to be compared to the largest one in the country.

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.

The post Is Bill de Blasio’s Claim that New York is the “Safest Big City” Overstated? appeared first on Law Street.

Alaska is the most dangerous state based on its violent crime rate for the third year in a row, according to the latest crime statistics from the FBI. The rate of violent crime increased significantly in Alaska last year–going from 636 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2014 to 730 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2015. Following Alaska is Nevada (696 violent crimes per 100,000 people) and New Mexico (656 violent crimes per 100,000 people).

Law Street’s annual slideshow of the Safest and Most Dangerous States ranks all 50 states based on their violent crime rates. Each slide details the violent crime statistics for every city in the country with available data and a population of 25,000 or more. The qualifying cities are listed from highest to lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000 residents for each state. The category of violent crime is comprised of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

GO DIRECTLY TO YOUR STATE:

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

Alaska: #1 Most Dangerous State | 730 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

“Alaska” courtesy of Ryan Schreiber; License: (CC BY 2.0)

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

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

Source:

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

The post America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

On Thursday night, Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination for president in Cleveland. In his acceptance speech Trump made one thing abundantly clear: he promises to be the law and order candidate. But with that promise came the need for justification: why do we need a law and order president? Trump sought to answer that question and more by painting a particularly bleak picture of America.

Let’s take a closer look at some of Trump’s claims and put them in some much-needed context. The quotes below are taken from his prepared remarks obtained by Politico Thursday afternoon. The transcript is nearly identical to the actual speech but may have some slight differences.

Where are our violent crime numbers?

Donald Trump started his speech with some stark claims about crime in the United States:

Homicides last year increased by 17 percent in America’s fifty largest cities. That’s the largest increase in 25 years.

The 17 percent claim appears to come from a Washington Post analysis that was published earlier this year. The Post looked at preliminary crime data from 50 of the largest American cities and found that murders increased by about 17 percent in 2015. So yes, it does appear that there is an increase in homicides and there may even be an uptick in violent crime–we’ll know for sure when the FBI releases its formal statistics this fall. But it’s also important to keep this development in context.

Even with a few years of a crime spike, America is much safer than it was a two decades ago. In fact, the violent crime rate has dropped precipitously over the last 25 years. As the chart below shows, the violent crime rate has dropped by about 43 percent between 1995 and 2014. While we don’t have more recent data, it is particularly unlikely that we have reversed many of those gains within the last year and a half. We may be experiencing a spike in violent crime right now, but we currently have no indication that it will lead to a multiyear trend of increasing crime rates.

The chart below shows how violent crime has dropped over the past several decades. Note that the Y-Axis does not start at zero, rather it starts at 300 to better illustrate the relationship between each point.

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report

Trump specifically spoke about murder rates, which have also fallen in a similar fashion. In 1995 there were 8.2 murders per 100,000 people. In 2014 the rate was 4.5. The uptick identified by the Washington Post is certainly troubling, but that too must be taken in context. Trump accurately characterized the 17 percent spike as the largest change in the past 25 years. But as the Post points out, last year’s homicide rate remains below where it was in 2008 and not every city saw an increase. Of the largest 50 cities, 36 saw an increase in murders while 14 experienced a decrease or no change.

What about Chicago?

Trump went on to note that the number of shootings in Chicago is particularly high this year:

In the President’s hometown of Chicago, more than 2,000 have been the victims of shootings this year alone. And more than 3,600 have been killed in the Chicago area since he took office.

This statistic also appears to be true. According to the Chicago Tribune’s count, there have been 2,224 shooting victims between the beginning of the year and July 22. Last year there was 2,988 shootings in total, meaning that this year will likely surpass that final count.

There does appear to be a real problem with gun violence and homicides in many American cities. We do not have enough data to say whether this is a durable trend or just an uptick, but even accounting for an increase, violence remains near historic lows. We also don’t know what is responsible for the recent developments, as many competing theories have been thrown around. It is a complex and multifaceted problem that many local police departments will need to address.

Police in America

Trump also argued that law enforcement deaths are increasing:

The number of police officers killed in the line of duty has risen by almost 50 percent compared to this point last year.

According to the Officer Down Memorial page, which tracks police deaths as they happen, there have been 68 police officers killed in the line of duty so far this year, a 1 percent decrease. The National Law Enforcement Memorials Fund also keeps an independent count of officer deaths. According to the NLEMF’s data, there were 63 officer deaths at this point last year and there are 67 this year–a 6 percent increase. Both of those total counts include accidental deaths, but they also note that firearm-related deaths are up in 2016. A large part of that increase came in two recent high-profile attacks on police in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

After the Dallas attack, we noted that the resulting five officers deaths amounted to about 10 percent of the previous year’s total. According to preliminary numbers from the FBI, which specifically tracks felonious deaths, there were 42 officers killed in 2015. While the next round of FBI statistics on officer deaths and assaults in the line of duty will be particularly useful to inform these debates, the general trend has been going downward. For more, you can read our article titled, “What We Know About Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty”

Donald Trump went on to make several additional claims in his speech that have since been rigorously fact-checked. While Trump’s crime-related claims are directionally accurate, it is important to look at the surrounding context. Much of Trump’s speech seemed to hinge on whether or not the rule of law is breaking down in the United States. He argues that it has and that is why he is campaigning as the law and order candidate. However, despite a recent spike in murders and possibly violent crime, those rates remain near modern lows. Similarly, the number of police officers killed and assaulted has been declining over the past several years. While some of that progress may have been reversed temporarily, it’s important to ask whether that represents a durable trend or if it is simply a temporary uptick.

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.

The post Is the World as Scary as Donald Trump Says it is? appeared first on Law Street.

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

Image copyright Law Street Media

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

Read More: Crime in America 2016

One of the more interesting findings of Law Street’s reporting is the wide range in the number of police officers relative to the number of city residents, which Law Street termed the officer to population ratio. Among cities with populations greater than 200,000, Washington, D.C. has the most sworn officers relative to its population size. On the other end of the spectrum is Santa Ana, California, which has just one police officer for every 1,274 residents. When taking a closer look at the rankings, many of the cities with fewer police officers relative to their size are also some of the safest cities in the country while some of the most dangerous cities have notably high ratios.

There are some important exceptions to those trends. For example, Stockton, California has one police officer for every 807 citizens, which is notably higher than other cities on the Most Dangerous Cities list. Stockton ranks in the top 20 in terms of its officer to population ratio but makes the top 10 list of dangerous cities. A likely explanation for this case is the fact that Stockton recently went through bankruptcy, which caused cutbacks in many government offices. This case may be an example of an understaffed and underresourced police department that, among other things, contributes to an above average crime rate.

Law Street’s analysis of the FBI’s half year data for 2015 shows how crime rates changed from January to June compared the year prior. The graph at the bottom of the infographic depicts the changes among the most dangerous cities over 200,000. While Detroit, Michigan experienced a notable decrease in its violent crime rate, St. Louis saw its rate increase by nearly 23 percent in the first half of 2015.

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

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.

The post Infographic: Visualizing Crime in America 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

Half of the cities on Law Street’s list of Most Dangerous Cities over 200,000 experienced an increase in violent crime in the first half of 2015, following the national trend according to FBI statistics released Tuesday. Violent crime was up approximately 1.7 percent across the United States. St. Louis, Missouri experienced the single largest increase in violent crime in 2015 relative to 2014 with an increase of 22.9 percent. Detroit, Michigan experienced the largest decrease, as the city saw its violent crime drop by over 9 percent in 2014. Two of the top 10 Most Dangerous Cities do not have preliminary data available.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2015–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 with populations greater than 200,000 people 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

In the first six months of 2015, Detroit–the most dangerous city over 200,000–continued its downward trend with a notable decrease in violent crime. In total, Detroit had 581 fewer violent crimes in the first half of 2015 relative to the same period in 2014, a drop of over 9 percent. Violent crime was down in every category in Detroit, but the most significant drop occurred in the city’s robbery statistics, which fell by nearly 30 percent last year. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -9.2 %
(2014: 6,292; 2015: 5,711)
Murder: -20.7%
(2014: 135 ; 2015:107)
Rape: -17.6%
(2014: 284; 2015: 234)
Robbery: -29%
(2014: 1,589; 2015: 1,128)
Aggravated Assault: -1%
(2014: 4,284; 2015: 4,242)

#2 Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis experienced a slight decrease in violent crime in the first six months of 2015, going down 2.1 percent relative to the previous year. Although Memphis experienced a small increase in aggravated assaults, decreases in all three of the other categories contributed to the overall drop. The largest decreases occurred in the city’s reported rape and robbery statistics, which fell by 10.4 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -2.1%
(2014: 5,633; 2015: 5,517)
Murder: -1.5%
(2014: 65; 2015: 64)
Rape: -10.4%
(2014: 269; 2015: 241)
Robbery: -9.9%
(2014: 1,553; 2015: 1,400)
Aggravated Assault: +1.8%
(2014: 3,746; 2015: 3,812)

#3 Oakland, California

Oakland, California is the #3 Most Dangerous City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2015 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.

#4 St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis experienced a notable increase in violent crime in the first six months of 2015, reporting an increase of 22.9 percent. In total, the city had 522 more violent crimes in the first half of 2015 than it did in the first half of 2014. St. Louis saw increases in three of the four categories of violent crime. One of the most noteworthy increases occurred in its murder statistics, which went from 58 in the first half of 2014 to 92 in the first half of 2015, an increase of almost 60 percent. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +22.9%
(2014: 2,284; 2015: 2,806)
Murder: +58.6%
(2014: 58; 2015: 92)
Rape: -11.8%
(2014: 144; 2015: 127)
Robbery: +40.1%
(2014: 594; 2015: 832)
Aggravated Assault: +17.9
(2014: 1,488; 2015: 1,755)

#5 Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama experienced a modest increase in its reported violent crimes in the first half of 2015. In total, the city had 137 more violent crimes from January to June 2015 than it did in the same period of the previous year. Higher numbers of robberies and aggravated assaults largely explain the increase overall, which rose by 11.7 percent and 7.8 percent respectively. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +8.5%
(2014: 1,619; 2015: 1,756)
Murder: +30.4%
(2014: 23; 2015: 30)
Rape: -7.2%
(2014: 83; 2015: 77)
Robbery: +11.7%
(2014: 454; 2015: 507)
Aggravated Assault: +7.8%
(2014: 1,059; 2015: 1,142)

#6 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin experienced a very slight decrease in crime in the first half of 2015, going down about 1 percent relative to the previous year. Although crime was down overall the city did have a notable spike in murders, which went from 36 in the first half of 2014 to 75 in the first half of 2015, an increase of 108 percent. Aside from murders, the other categories of violent crime either remained constant or decreased. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -0.9%
(2014: 3,957; 2015: 3,921)
Murder: 108.3%
(2014: 36; 2015: 75)
Rape: -12.5%
(2014: 192; 2015: 168)
Robbery: -3.2%
(2014: 1,551; 2015: 1,501)
Aggravated Assault: 0%
(2014: 2,178; 2015: 2,177)

#7 Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland experienced a 6 percent increase in violent crime in the first half of 2015, with 235 more crimes than in the previous year. Much of that increase can be attributed to the city’s higher number of robberies, which went up by 11.3 percent. The city also had a notable increase in murders, going from 99 in 2014 to 144 in 2015, a 45.5 percent increase. Baltimore faced several challenges in terms of policing and crime last year, some of which may not be accounted for in these statistics because they only include data from the first half of the year. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +5.9%
(2014: 3,989; 2015: 4,224)
Murder: +45.5
(2014: 99; 2015: 144)
Rape: N/A*
(2014 legacy definition: 129 ; 2015 revised definition: 140)
Robbery: +11.3%
(2014: 1,641; 2015: 1,826)
Aggravated Assault: -0.3%
(2014: 2,120; 2015: 2,114)

*Baltimore, Maryland began reporting its rape statistics using the FBI’s revised definition of rape in 2015. As a result, its statistics are not comparable to the previous year. For more information click here.

#8 Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland experienced a modest decrease in violent crime in the first half of last year, going down 4.4 percent. Much of the city’s overall drop can be attributed to a decrease in the number of reported robberies, which fell by nearly 9 percent. While the city did have an overall drop, it reported an increase in aggravated assaults and murders in the first half of the year. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -4.4%
(2014: 2,499; 2015: 2,390)
Murder: +42.3%
(2014: 26; 2015: 37)
Rape: -19.2%
(2014: 266; 2015: 215)
Robbery: -8.7%
(2014: 1,408; 2015: 1,286)
Aggravated Assault: +6.6%
(2014: 799; 2015: 852)

#9 Stockton, California

Stockton, California followed the national trend with a modest increase in its violent crime statistics from January to June last year. In total, Stockton’s violent crime went up by 2.4 percent, reporting 47 more violent crimes in the first half of 2015 relative to the previous year. The largest increase came in the city’s robbery statistics, which were up by over 7 percent. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +2.4%
(2014: 1,972; 2015: 2,019)
Murder: -14.3%
(2014: 21; 2015: 18)
Rape: N/A*
(2014 legacy definition: 61; 2015 revised definition: 65)
Robbery: +7.1
(2014: 532; 2015: 570)
Aggravated Assault: +0.6
(2014: 1,358; 2015: 1,366)

*Stockton, California began reporting its rape statistics using the FBI’s revised definition of rape in 2015. As a result, its statistics are not comparable to the previous year. For more information click here.

#10 Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana is the #10 Most Dangerous City in the country with a population over 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2015 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. Data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

—

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

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.

The post Dangerous Cities Over 200,000: Detroit, St. Louis See Big Changes appeared first on Law Street.

According to FBI statistics released on Tuesday, the United States saw violent crime increase nationally by 1.7 percent in the first half of 2015 relative to the previous year. But it was a mixed bag for the most dangerous cities with populations between 100,000 and 200,000. Five of the cities saw increases in violent crime, three saw decreases, and two did not have information available from the FBI. Rockford, Illinois, the number two city on the list, saw the largest increase, as violent crime went up 23.2 percent in the first half of last year.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2015–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 with populations 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 in the country with a population between 100,000 and 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2015 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.

#2 Rockford, Illinois

Rockford saw a sharp increase in violent crime in the first six months of 2015. While there was only a moderate increase in reported rapes and robberies in Rockford, the number of aggravated assaults increased by 28.4 percent. The number of aggravated assaults in Rockford went from 670 in the first half of 2014 to 860 in the same period in 2015. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +23.2%
(2014: 927; 2015: 1,142)
Murder: -10%
(2014: 10; 2015: 9)
Rape: +13%
(2014: 69; 2015: 78)
Robbery: +9.6%
(2014: 178; 2015: 195)
Aggravated Assault: +28.4%
(2014: 670; 2015: 860)

#3 Springfield, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri saw a moderate increase in its violent crime in the first half of 2015. While it seems as though the murder rate experienced a sharp increase based on the percentage change, the increase in raw numbers is relatively low, as the city had two additional murders in 2015. Robbery and aggravated assault increased by 17.1 percent and 15.5 percent respectively, accounting for most of the increase in overall crime. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +12.8%
(2014: 942; 2015: 1,063)
Murder: +40%
(2014: 5; 2015: 7)
Rape: -5.9%
(2014: 136; 2015: 128)
Robbery: +17.1%
(2014: 181; 2015: 212)
Aggravated Assault: +15.5%
(2014: 620; 2015: 716)

#4 Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan saw a decrease of 12.7 percent in the number of reported violent crimes in the first half of 2015 relative to the same period in the previous year. With the exception of rape, crime rates fell across the board. Due to the relatively low number of reported rapes in Lansing, the 2.6 percent increase is the result of just one additional offense in 2015. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -12.7%
(2014: 537; 2015: 469)
Murder: -20%
(2014: 5; 2015: 4)
Rape: +2.6%
(2014: 38; 2015: 39)
Robbery: -24.8%
(2014: 109; 2015: 82)
Aggravated Assault: -10.6%
(2014: 385; 2015: 344)

#5 Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford saw a slight increase in violent crime in the first half of 2015. Robbery had a moderate increase of 10.5 percent and aggravated assaults were up but by a very small margin. The number of reported rapes fell noticeably by 31.8 percent relative to the previous year. The murder rate was up by 100 percent, going from 7 in the first half of 2014 to 14 in the first half of 2015. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +3.9 %
(2014: 671; 2015: 697)
Murder: +100%
(2014: 7; 2015: 14)
Rape: -31.8%
(2014: 22; 2015: 15)
Robbery: +10.5%
(2014: 229; 2015: 253)
Aggravated Assault: +0.5%
(2014: 413; 2015: 415)

#6 Springfield, Massachusetts

Violent crime increased by 7.7 percent in Springfield, Massachusetts in the first half of 2015. The number of reported rapes and robberies were both down, but aggravated assault saw a notable increase of 16.3 percent. Additionally, more than twice as many people were murdered in the first half of 2015 as 2014, going from 6 to 13. In total, Hartford had 60 more violent crimes from January to June 2015 than in the same period of the previous year. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +7.7%
(2014: 777; 2015: 837)
Murder: +116.7%
(2014: 6; 2015: 13)
Rape: -15.7%
(2014: 51; 2015: 43)
Robbery: -5.4%
(2014: 261; 2015: 247)
Aggravated Assault: +16.3%
(2014: 459; 2015: 534)

#7 Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois followed the national trend with a slight increase in the number of reported violent crimes from January to June 2015 relative to the same period in the previous year. The total violent crime was up just 1.3 percent. Changes in the robbery and aggravated assault rates were almost negligible, and while the murder rate shows a 100 percent increase, that is a result of two additional murders in the first half of 2015 relative to the same period in 2014. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +1.3%
(2014: 551; 2015: 558)
Murder: +100%
(2014: 2; 2015: 4)
Rape: +11.9%
(2014: 42; 2015: 47)
Robbery: -0.9%
(2014: 111; 2015: 110)
Aggravated Assault: +0.3%
(2014: 396; 2015: 397)

#8 New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut is the #8 Most Dangerous City in the country with a population between 100,000 and 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2015 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.

#9 Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee had a modest drop in the number of violent crimes in the first half of 2015, going down 7.4 percent relative to the same period in 2014. Particularly notable were the 27.5 percent drop in robbery, and a 30 percent decrease in reported rapes. Aggravated assault, however, had a small increase of 1.8 percent. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -7.4%
(2014: 883; 2015: 818)
Murder: -47.1%
(2014: 17; 2015: 9)
Rape: -30%
(2014: 60; 2015: 42)
Robbery: -27.5%
(2014: 182; 2015: 132)
Aggravated Assault: +1.8%
(2014: 624; 2015: 635)

#10 Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts saw a slight decrease in violent crime of 5.4 percent in the first half of 2015. While aggravated assault was down by 8.8 percent, robbery was up by 8 percent. The number of reported rapes fell by 42.9 percent, however, given the relatively low number offenses, a drop from seven rapes to four yields a high percentage change. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -5.4%
(2014: 814; 2015: 770)
Murder: +0%
(2014: 4; 2015: 4)
Rape: -42.9%
(2014: 7; 2015: 4)
Robbery: +8.0%
(2014: 175; 2015: 189)
Aggravated Assault: -8.8%
(2014: 628; 2015: 573)

—

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

FBI: Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report

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.

The post Dangerous Cities Under 200,000: Mixed Bag of Results for Early 2015 Crime appeared first on Law Street.

Nationally, violent crime increased by approximately 1.7 percent from January to June 2015 relative to the same period in 2014. Four of the safest cities followed the national trend with crime increases and one city did not have preliminary statistics available through the FBI. The 25.2 percent increase in violent crime in Fremont, California was the largest among the top 10 safest cities, as the city saw 29 additional violent crimes in the first half of last year. On the other hand, Plano, Texas experienced the largest decrease among the top 10 safest cities, as violent crime fell by 20.3 percent.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2015–the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Safest Cities with populations greater than 200,000 people appears below as an update to our most recent Crime In America Rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall.

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

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 Most Dangerous Cities with Populations Under 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Irvine, California

Irvine California, the safest city with a population greater than 200,000, followed the national trend with a slight increase in violent crime in the first half of 2015 relative to the previous year. Although Irvine had an increase of 3.7 percent, the increase in raw numbers appears much smaller–the city only had two more violent crimes in the first half of 2015 than it did in the same period of the previous year. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +3.7%
(2014: 54; 2015: 56)
Murder: +100%
(2014: 0; 2015: 1)
Rape: N/A
(2014 legacy definition: 9; 2015 revised definition: 11*)
Robbery: +17.6%
(2014: 17; 2015: 20)
Aggravated Assault: -14.3%
(2014: 28; 2015: 24)

*At some point during this year, the Irvine, California police department moved from the legacy definition of rape to the FBI’s revised definition. As a result, Irvine’s 2014 rape statistics are not comparable to its 2015 statistics. The FBI changed the definition of rape in 2013 to be more accurate and inclusive. For more information click here.

#2 Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert, Arizona experienced a notable decrease in its violent crime statistics from January to June 2015. Violent crime in the city fell by 18.6 percent, which was the second largest decrease among all of the top 10 safest cities. The largest decrease occurred in the number of reported robberies, which fell by more than 50 percent. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -18.6%
(2014: 113; 2015: 92)
Murder: +0%
(2014: 0; 2015: 0)
Rape: +44.4%
(2014: 9; 2015: 13)
Robbery: -54.8%
(2014: 31; 2015: 14)
Aggravated Assault: -11%
(2014: 73; 2015: 65)

#3 Fremont, California

Fremont, California experienced a 25 percent increase in violent crime from January to June 2015 relative to the same period in the previous year. In total, the city reported 29 more violent crimes in the first half of 2015 than it did in the first half of 2014. The largest increase occurred in Fremont’s robbery statistics, which went up by over 37 percent, from 51 in 2014 to 70 last year. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +25.2%
(2014: 115; 2015: 144)
Murder: +0%
(2014: 1; 2015: 1)
Rape: N/A*
(2014 legacy definition: 7; 2015 revised definition: 19)
Robbery: +37.3%
(2014: 51; 2015: 70)
Aggravated Assault: -3.6%
(2014: 56; 2015: 54)

*Fremont, California began reporting its rape statistics using the FBI’s revised definition of rape in 2015. As a result, its statistics are not comparable to the previous year. For more information click here.

#4 Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach went against the national trend with a modest decrease in violent crime in the first half of last year. In total, the city reported 22 fewer violent crimes last year than it did in 2014, a drop of 6.7 percent. The biggest change occurred in the number of reported rapes, which fell by 34.5 percent. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -6.7%
(2014: 327; 2015: 305)
Murder: +0%
(2014: 12; 2015: 12)
Rape: -34.5%
(2014: 55; 2015: 36)
Robbery: +4.1%
(2014: 123; 2015: 128)
Aggravated Assault: -5.8%
(2014: 137; 2015: 129)

#5 Santa Clarita, California

Santa Clarita, California is the #5 Safest City in the country with a population greater than 200,000 people; however, we cannot provide an update on its preliminary 2015 data. According to the FBI, Santa Clarita 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.

#6 Henderson, Nevada

Henderson, Nevada experienced a modest increase in violent crime in the first half of 2015. In total, Henderson reported 31 more violent crimes in the first half of 2015 relative to the first half of 2014, an increase of 15.7 percent. Much of that increase was the result of higher numbers of reported rapes and robberies, which increased by 54.5 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +15.7%
(2014: 198; 2015: 229)
Murder: +0%
(2014: 1; 2015: 1)
Rape: +54.5%
(2014: 33; 2015: 51)
Robbery: +20.3%
(2014: 69; 2015: 83)
Aggravated Assault: -1.1%
(2014: 95; 2015: 94)

#7 Plano, Texas

Plano, Texas experienced a modest decrease in violent crime in the first half of 2015, going down 10.4 percent relative to the first half of the previous year. The largest decrease came in the number of robberies, which fell by more than 20 percent. Plano’s violent crime decreased in every category with the exception of murder which had a slight increase. Although the percentage of murders increased significantly, that change was the result of one additional murder relative to the previous year. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -10.4%
(2014: 249; 2015: 223)
Murder: +50%
(2014: 2; 2015: 3)
Rape: -2.1%
(2014: 47; 2015: 46)
Robbery: -21%
(2014: 81; 2015: 64)
Aggravated Assault: -7.6%
(2014: 119; 2015: 110)

#8 Chandler, Arizona

Chandler, Arizona also went against the national trend in the first half of 2015 with a decrease in violent crime of nearly 10 percent. In total, Chandler had 22 fewer crimes from January to June 2015 than it did in the same period of the previous year. Much of that decrease is the result of a 12.8 percent drop in the number of aggravated assaults. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -9.6%
(2014: 228; 2015: 206)
Murder: Went from 1 to 0
(2014: 1; 2015: 0)
Rape: +8.3%
(2014: 24; 2015: 26)
Robbery: -7.3%
(2014: 55; 2015: 51)
Aggravated Assault: -12.8%
(2014: 148; 2015: 129)

#9 Irving, Texas

Irving, Texas reported the largest decrease in violent crime in the first half of 2015, as the number of crimes dropped by 20.3 percent. That decrease is a result of a significant drop in the number of aggravated assaults, which went from 169 in the first half of 2014 to 112 in 2015, a drop of 33.7 percent. Although the percentage of murders reported in Irving increased greatly, that was the result of four additional murders in 2015. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: -20.3%
(2014: 271; 2015: 216)
Murder: +200%
(2014: 2; 2015: 6)
Rape: N/A*
(2014 legacy definition: 19; 2015 revised definition: 15)
Robbery: +2.5%
(2014: 81; 2015: 83)
Aggravated Assault: -33.7%
(2014: 169; 2015: 112)

*Irving, Texas began reporting its rape statistics using the FBI’s revised definition of rape in 2015. As a result, its statistics are not comparable to the previous year. For more information click here.

#10 Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista, California experienced an 8.9 percent increase in violent crime from January to June 2015 relative to the same period in the previous year. This increase is largely a result of a higher number of robberies, going up 13.1 percent relative to the previous year. The overall increase may also be a result of the Chula Vista police department’s change in its definition of rape. In 2015, the city began submitting rape statistics according to the FBI’s revised definition, which was changed in 2013 to be more inclusive and accurate. The data below reflects changes from January to June 2015 versus the same period in 2014.

Total Violent Crime: +8.9%
(2014: 292; 2015: 318)
Murder: +33.3%
(2014: 3; 2015: 2)
Rape: N/A*
(2014 legacy definition: 20; 2015 revised definition: 30)
Robbery: +13.1%
(2014: 107; 2015: 121)
Aggravated Assault: +1.9%
(2014: 162; 2015: 165)

*Chula Vista, California began reporting its rape statistics using the FBI’s revised definition of rape in 2015. As a result, its statistics are not comparable to the previous year. For more information click here.

—

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

FBI: Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report

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.

The post Safest Cities: Five of Top 10 See Crime Decrease in First Half of 2015 appeared first on Law Street.

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.

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

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

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

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

#1 Little Rock, Arkansas      

Image courtesy of Ani Od Chai via Flickr

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

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

—
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

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.

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

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

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

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

#1 Irvine, California      

Image courtesy of Infratec via Wikimedia

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

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

—

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

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

Source:

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

Saturday was the beginning of August and the last carefree month of summer break for many. This is the month when people make the most of the free time they have with their loved ones and begin to prepare to get back into their normal work or school routine. But unfortunately in Chicago, Illinois, the beginning of August was marred by an influx of shootings in the Windy City.

Beginning Sunday afternoon, at least 15 people were shot across the city. This is consistent with recent trends–July also saw an elevated number of shootings. During the 4th of July holiday weekend about 10 people were killed and 55 injured during various shooting incidents.

The number of victims this weekend in Chicago is extraordinary–this Sunday afternoon a 17-year-old boy was shot at about 4 p.m. on the South Side.. As the day continued, in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side a 16-year-old boy and 23-year-old man were shot during a drive-by around 7:15 pm. At 8:40 pm a five-year-old girl was shot in the leg in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. Five minutes later gunshots were heard in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the Northwest Side as a seven-year-old boy and 19-year-old man were shot. Two women, 34 and 39, and a man, 26, were shot at about 7:55 p.m. Sunday on South Brandon Avenue on the South Side, according to police spokesman Officer Thomas Sweeney. At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a 19-year-old man was shot in the Cabrini Green neighborhood on the Near North Side, police spokesman Ron Gaines said. The largest shooting incident this Sunday occurred in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of the city. According to Gaines, four men were shot on South Winchester Avenue around 9:50pm. The men were between the ages of 19 and 25. The violence continued all the way through the next morning when a 20-year-old man was shot at 1:40 a.m. Monday, in the West Englewood neighborhood. No one has been taken into custody yet for the shootings and police are still investigating each case. The variety of victims and geographical breadth are certainly concerning.

Over the past five years, Chicago has seen more than 12,000 shootings. By June of this year Chicago had reached a total of 1,000 shootings–almost three weeks earlier than when the city reached 1,000 shootings in 2014. Chicago has gun laws that have banned assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, and places to purchase ammo, which makes it one of the toughest places in the country to legally obtain a firing weapon. But even with these bans, gun violence has not decreased. Although the homicide rate has gone down, the number of shootings in the city is on the rise–indicating that the city still has work to do even with its restrictive gun laws.

Taelor Bentley

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

The post The Number of Shootings In Chicago Continues To Rise: When Will it Stop? appeared first on Law Street.

You’ve probably heard the name Schumer before–but the question is whether politics and taxes on private equity managers or jokes about women’s sexuality and vaginas come to mind. Now, the two Schumers will be increasingly associated. Comedian, writer, and actress Amy Schumer and her cousin, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, publicly announced on Monday that they are teaming up to fight gun violence. The announcement comes just two weeks after a fatal shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, when a gunman opened fire at a screening of Amy Schumer’s new movie “Trainwreck,” killing two women and injuring nine others before committing suicide.

My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana.

— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) July 24, 2015

The comedian has called this shooting “extremely personal” and stated that she thinks of the two women who were killed during the showing of her movie every day. “This should not have happened,” she said at a news conference alongside her Senator cousin on Monday. “It’s a tragic, senseless and horrifying action from this man who should not have been able to put his hands on a gun in the first place.” The Lafayette shooter bought his gun in Alabama last year after a background check failed to reveal his history of psychiatric problems and that he had been the subject of domestic violence complaints. Senator Schumer, sponsor of the “Brady Act” that was passed 20 years ago and requires background checks for gun buyers, stated, “We should do everything possible to tighten up loop holes,” and that “we can’t sit back and let mass shooting become commonplace.”

Senator Schumer proposed new gun control measures that are meant to prevent violent criminals, abusers, and those with mental illnesses from obtaining guns. The legislation would improve the currently flawed background check system by creating monetary incentives for states that submit thorough reports to the federal database used to block gun sales to people with criminal records or a history of serious mental illness. The bill would also create penalties for states that fail to submit these records to the database. The Senator emphasized that this new plan is about improving the present background check system, not putting new restrictions on buyers.

74% of Americans want stronger background checks. Joining @amyschumer to call on my colleagues in Congress to finally listen. More at 11.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 3, 2015

On Saturday, Amy Schumer tweeted in response to an open letter addressed to her from a Georgetown University student who called on Schumer to speak out against gun violence and advocate for stricter gun laws. “Your movie — which was so well-received, so brilliant, so you — will now forever have this shooting attached to it,” the letter begins. The letter, which went viral on social media, raised many points about women’s victimization from gun violence, stating that every day in the United States, five women are murdered with a gun, making American women 11 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than women in other high-income countries. The letter continues with more chilling statistics about gun violence against women, stating:

And from 2001 through 2012, 6,410 women were murdered in the United States by an intimate partner using a gun — more than the total number of U.S. troops killed in action during the entirety of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

The author of the letter, Sarah Clements, says that she knows the “guilt, the sadness, the hole in your heart” that Schumer must have experienced upon hearing the news of the shooting. Clements writes that her mother was a survivor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, and she has since dedicated her life’s work to gun violence prevention. After Schumer read the letter, she tweeted in response, saying not to worry because she is “on it.”

@cdickason11 @sfclem Her name was Mayci, not Marci and I think about her and Jillian everyday. Don't worry I'm on it. You'll see.

— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) August 1, 2015

And she was on it. Just two days after the tweet, Schumer followed her cousin’s presentation on his plans for gun violence prevention with an emotional speech at the New York press conference. “Unless something is done and done soon, dangerous people will continue to get their hands on guns,” she said. “We never know why people choose to do these things,” Amy Schumer stated, “but sadly we always find out how, how the shooter got their gun.” She said that her cousin’s three-step plan “deserves unanimous support” because it seeks to address the flaws in the “how.”

Amy Schumer fights gun violence: 'Shootings have got to stop' http://t.co/t29GcKiWY3 pic.twitter.com/MH2Uj68iIt

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 4, 2015

Mass killings in the United States have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years. From 2000 to 2007, an average of 6.4 active shootings occurred per year; from 2007 to 2013, that number jumped to 16.4 incidents per year. These mass killings will continue to gain momentum unless we pass legislation that creates serious incentives for states to obey the gun restriction laws that are already in place. Not only do we need to buckle down on the current system of gun control that is not being followed, but we also need to eventually introduce new restrictions. In a majority of mass shootings, killers obtained their weapons legally. This fact warrants significant pause; our laws are not protecting us from danger and are allowing individuals to commit mass murders. All in all, serious improvements to America’s gun laws are needed.

Senator Chuck Schumer and Amy Schumer are using their public platforms to advocate for necessary change that will hopefully spark a more robust conversation on gun control that has been fleeting and unfinished in the past. Amy Schumer’s last line during Monday’s press conference has left everyone wondering what is next for the Schumer pair when she stated: “These are my first public comments on the issue of gun violence, but I can promise you they will not be my last.”

Emily Dalgo

Emily Dalgo is a member of the American University Class of 2017 and a Law Street Media Fellow during the Summer of 2015. Contact Emily at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Schumers are On It: Gun Violence Prevention Has a Few New Faces appeared first on Law Street.

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

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

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

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

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

#1 Highest Crime Rate: University of Illinois at Chicago

Image courtesy of Storm9 via Wikimedia Commons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

#1 Highest Crime Rate: Howard University

Image courtesy of Ted Eytan via Flickr

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

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

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

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

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

#1 Highest Crime Rate: Swarthmore College

Image courtesy of Fritz Ward via Flickr

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

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

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

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

Click here to see the methodology used for the rankings.

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

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

If you are having trouble viewing the graphic click here.

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

1. Crime is Down… Again

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

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

2. Better Data on Rape in America

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

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

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

3. Violent Crime Fell Across Nearly All Categories

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

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

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

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

5. Crime Dropped Across Every Population Group

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Detroit, Michigan*

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

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

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

 #2 Oakland, California

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

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

#3 Memphis, Tennessee

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

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

Click here for full coverage of Memphis’ 2015 ranking.

#4 St. Louis, Missouri

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

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

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

#5 Cleveland, Ohio**

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

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

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

#6 Baltimore, Maryland

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

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

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

#7  Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

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

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

#8 Birmingham, Alabama

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

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

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

#9 Newark, New Jersey

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

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

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

#10 Kansas City, Missouri

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kevin Rizzo

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.

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

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

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SAFEST AND MOST DANGEROUS STATES.

#1 Irvine, California

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

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

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

#2 Gilbert, Arizona

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

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

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

#3 Fremont, California

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

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

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

#4 Santa Clarita, California

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

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

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

#5 Henderson, Nevada

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

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

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

#6 Plano, Texas

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

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

#7 Scottsdale, Arizona

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

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

#8 Virginia Beach, Virginia

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

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

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

#9 Garland, Texas

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

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

#10 Chandler, Arizona

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

Anneliese Mahoney

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

The post Not All of America’s Safest Cities Followed Trend of Declining Crime appeared first on Law Street.

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

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.

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

Cannibalism is truly the stuff of nightmares that, terrifyingly enough, still occurs today. Recently police found a 34-year-old man, Matthew Williams, eating the face and eyes of a 22-year-old woman whom he recently killed in a hostel in Wales. He later died after the police stunned him with a 50,000-volt taser.

Williams, who had been recently released from jail, lived in the hostel, which housed many homeless people and former convicts. He allegedly brought his victim, Cerys Yemm, back to the building for a drink after meeting her for the first time. A key witness in the case informed authorities that Williams had taken a number of drugs earlier that evening. There is substantial debate over just what those drugs were. Some coverage claims that he took cocaine while others claim he overdosed on beta blockers and injected himself with heroin substitutes.

Hostel owner Mandy Miles discovered Williams covered in blood eating Yemm’s eye and face. According to a recent article, Williams said “that’s no girl” after Miles exclaimed “do you know what you’re doing to that girl?” Miles told authorities that she would have attacked Williams with a fire extinguisher if she thought there was any chance that Yemm was still alive. However, she found it clear that Yemm’s situation was beyond hope and so she locked Williams in the room and phoned the police. Miles stated recently that she frequently experiences flashbacks to the horrifying incident.

Following his grisly crime, Williams’ mother informed authorities that she felt it could have been prevented. According to her, her son was not taking the proper medication following his release and should have been hospitalized for his severe mental disorders. She elaborated on her son’s condition by saying that he heard voices and often suffered paranoid delusions. A fellow inmate imprisoned with Williams claimed that he called himself “the Wolf” because he ate people.

This isn’t the first story in the past few months of incidents of people eating human flesh. In June a Norwegian man consumed the meat taken off of his own hip bone following a surgical procedure. His actions, of course, differed substantially from this case as they did not inflict harm on others.

Even celebrities are weighing in on the topic of eating other people. Josh Hutcherson, best known as Peeta from The Hunger Games film series, recently conceded that he was curious about the taste of human flesh. Granted, he said he would only consume said theoretical human flesh if it were from someone who “died of natural causes.” Sorry, Josh, that is still a creepy thing to say.

Hopefully, this recent incident of cannibalism remains an isolated and rare occurrence and isn’t the start of a violent trend.

Marisa Mostek

Marisa Mostek loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Hostel Cannibalism: Welsh Man Eats Woman’s Eyeball and Face appeared first on Law Street.

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

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

For the first time, crime rates of all American cities with a population greater than 25,000 are ranked by state. See the slideshow below for the full ranking of America’s Most Dangerous States, or click the links below to go directly to the data for a specific state.

Jump to the slideshow

Law Street’s state-by-state slideshow of America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States details the violent crime statistics for every city in the United States with a population greater than 25,000 (1,583 cities in all). The data is from the FBI’s most recent Uniform Crime Report: Crime in the United States 2012. Each state’s cities are listed from highest to lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000 people, which is comprised of murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

Although the information is very important by itself, it is important to consider the context. There are several different factors that contribute to a city’s total number of violent crimes, including but not limited to economic conditions, population density, climate, and education levels, as well as a number of issues with the uniform crime report itself. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report remains the most comprehensive and accurate measure of violent crime in the United States. For more information, see Law Street’s Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Average violent crime rates for different sized cities, based on the FBI’s population grouping statistics from the Uniform Crime Report and its corresponding population estimates include: city of 25,000 – 49,999 people = 300; city of 50,000 – 99,999 people = 358.71; city of 100,000 – 249,999 people = 492.22; city of 250,000 or more people = 758.42. The state rankings are based on violent crime data from all cities in the state and are not limited to those with a population of at least 25,000.

AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Click here to read full Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Tennessee: #1 Most Dangerous State | 643.6 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

Courtesy of Brent Moore via Flickr.

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.

The post Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

The amount of prison time doled out by courts to perpetrators of non-violent, drug crimes are often excessively severe, sometimes more than 100 years in prison. In one particular case, a man was sentenced to a lifetime behind bars for possessing a bag with traces of cocaine. In another case, a man with no prior record is now serving a 25-year prison term for selling his pain pills to an undercover informant. These two individuals are just a few of the many serving years in prison due to harsh mandatory sentencing laws.

Keeping non violent criminals incarcerated for decades leads to overcrowded conditions and billions of taxpayer dollars. The mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses have led to prisons vastly exceeding their maximum capacity. The United States has seen a 500 percent increase in the number of inmates in federal custody over the last 30 years.

The goal of these harsh laws is to deter would-be criminals from committing crimes when they realize that they could spend for the rest of their lives behind bars. This plan sounds good in theory, but has failed in practice. Hosting them is not cheap; it costs around $50,000 to keep one person in prison for one year in California alone. Although America has only five percent of the world’s population, it hosts 25 percent of the world’s prison inmates.

The issue of overcrowded prisons is alarmingly prominent in the United States, as other countries have adopted more effective means of dealing with individuals who commit minor offenses. For example, in 2001, Portugal became the first European country to abolish all criminal penalties for personal drug possession, and since then many countries around the world have followed suit. Drug users in Portugal are also provided with therapy rather than prison sentences. Research commissioned by the Cato Institute found that in the five years after the start of decriminalization, illegal drug use by teenagers declined, the rate of HIV infections transmitted via drug use dropped, deaths related to hard drugs were cut by more than half, and the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction doubled.

Finally, the United States has realized the gravity of the situation and decided to take action. Recently, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin and Senator Mike Lee introduced the Smarter Sentencing Act to reduce the number of harsh drug sentencing policies in the United States. Essentially, the goal of the Smarter Sentencing Act is to reserve the use of federal resources for the offenders of the most serious crimes. Lawmakers supporting this bill hope that it will cause judges to use less harsh punishments such as community service or drug therapy. Making these changes could save taxpayers billions in the first years of enactment alone.

Specifically, the Smarter Sentencing Act would amend the federal criminal code so that defendants without prior record who did not commit a violent crime receive a less severe sentence. The bill also aims to reduce the chance that prisons reach their maximum capacities and lower prison housing costs.

How would the Smarter Sentencing Act impact current laws?

Under current guidelines, a first-time drug offense involving at least 10 but not more than 20 grams of methamphetamine has a recommended sentence range of 27-33 months. Under the new guidelines, the same quantity of methamphetamine would have a sentence range for a first-time offense of 21-27 months.

Attorney General Eric Holder is urging lawmakers to fast track a solution to this problem, stating that “this over-reliance on incarceration is not just financially unsustainable. It comes with human and moral costs that are impossible to calculate.”

Because Democrats and Republicans agree that the extreme sentencing problem is a serious one, prospects are good that this bill has a chance for success. Both parties more or less concede that there is a problem when looking at the prison system in the United States. Former Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan is one of the prominent conservatives expressing his support for reform of current mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

I think we had a trend in America for a long time on mandatory minimums where we took away discretion from judges. I think there’s an appreciation that that approach has some collateral damage—that that approach is missing in many ways…I think there is a new appreciation that we need to give judges more discretion in these areas.

-Paul Ryan

The push to pass the Smarter Sentencing Act is gaining momentum, as almost a year has passed since its introduction in the House in October 2013. Hopefully, with continued support for this legislation, it will soon become law and alleviate the growing problems associated with extreme mandatory minimum drug sentences.

—

Marisa Mostek (@MarisaJ44) loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured Image Courtesy of [Barnellbe via Wikimedia]

Marisa Mostek

Marisa Mostek loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Are We Nearing the End of Failed Mandatory Minimum Sentences? appeared first on Law Street.

Seattle Pacific University lost one student and three others were wounded last Thursday in a shooting on campus. The university has suffered a tragedy, and while I do not disapprove of the time that the media has invested in covering it, I would like to call another, more prevalent, issue to mind. Shootings occur more frequently and affect an even greater number of people in our cities than on college campuses, yet have largely been disregarded or overlooked as news.

Forgotten and Forlorn

Inner-cities in America suffer greatly and receive little national coverage. On Friday, June 6, a man named Andew Perez was shot to death in his car in Camden, NJ. On the same day in Newark, NJ, two men were shot and killed and one woman was wounded. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, three people were killed and at least 19 others were wounded in Chicago shootings. On Saturday, a 15-year-old girl was shot and killed in Oakland, Calif. Mostly untouched by the news, there were at least seven gun-related deaths and even more injuries in American cities last weekend.

Events like the one at Seattle Pacific University and the recent mass shooting at UC Santa Barbara have revived fears about mass shootings in schools and colleges. The prevalence of these incidents is, while not inconsequential, a small part in the larger picture of American gun violence. Media attention for school shootings is always high. We become upset when a place that is created for improvement and learning face something as destructive as gun violence. Neglected, however, are the places that we do not assign such positive values.

As the FBI’s crime reports show, metropolitan areas are afflicted with high rates of violence. Violent crimes (robbery, rape, aggravated assault, and murder) have particularly high rates in cities. In 2012, each category of metropolitan counties had a higher violent crime rate than their non-metropolitan parallels.

Crimes occur much more frequently in metropolitan areas than they do in their non metropolitan counterparts.

Compared to urban areas, campuses are relatively safe, but the difference in the American mentality that surrounds college campuses and urban environments is significant. The poorest, most dilapidated parts of cities are forgotten and forlorn by the media. Shootings there are frequent, while shootings at schools are few and far between. This is not to say that people should care less about violence at schools like Seattle Pacific University, in fact, they should care more. People should care enough to advocate for and vote in favor of gun restrictions. Instead, people are shocked when shootings happen at schools but hear nothing about, or completely ignore, the recurring murders in America’s cities. While shootings and schools do not make sense together, we all-too-readily understand that gun violence and cities go hand-in-hand.

“Nearly Half of All Homicides”

A special report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), “Black Victims of Violent Crime,” shows how this violence is particularly prevalent among blacks.The report states that, “While blacks accounted for 13% of the U.S. population in 2005, they were victims in 15% of all nonfatal violent crimes and nearly half of all homicides”. The BJS used statistics from 1993 through 2005. The data comes from its National Crime Victimization Survey, which collects first-hand victim testimonies about incidents that have gone unreported to police, as well as the Supplementary Homicide Reports from the FBI. While staggering, this information is nothing new, nor are the 2005 numbers out of date. According to the FBI’s 2012 Uniform Crime Report, there were 3,128 white and 2,648 black victims of murder. These numbers, relative to the population proportions of whites and blacks, reveal an epidemic in the black community, and only reflect offenses reported to police. When taking into account crimes that go unreported and the instances of blacks being wrongfully shot by police officers, that murder rate would be even higher.

Uniquely, the disparity here is so great that the numbers are difficult to observe in a single graph. The difference is astounding. Although both have been decreasing recently, the homicide rate for blacks is dramatically larger than it has been for whites for over a decade.

In a Washington Post article last year, Dan Keating notes the difference between firearm deaths of whites and blacks,

“A white person is five times as likely to commit suicide with a gun as to be shot with a gun; for each African American who uses a gun to commit suicide, five are killed by other people with guns… Gun deaths in urban areas are much more likely to be homicides, while suicide is far and away the dominant form of gun death in rural areas”.

That’s one more statistic in a set of disturbing facts.

The Wall Street Journal compiled data sets from 2000 to 2010 in an article about blacks killing other blacks. Their charts show how no other group of people in the United States has been killed as frequently by firearms than blacks, not even when taking population proportions into account. Between 2000 and 2010 there were at least 60,028 black Americans were killed by firearms. A Slate.com article tracks the number of deaths as a result of school shootings from 1980 to 2012: the total is 297. Any shooting on a college campus deserves attention and a swift, appropriate reaction. But that number, 60,028, is the mass shooting we should be paying attention to.

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 A Mass Shooting, Ignored appeared first on Law Street.

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

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.

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

Violent crime in the United States was down by 5.4 percent in the first six months of 2013, according to the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics published Tuesday.

The FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report compiles offenses recorded by law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to provide an overview of crime trends from the first six months of the year. According to the report, the 2013 statistics reveal decreases among all violent crime categories with the exception of rape, which has recently been redefined to include a wider range of offenses. The FBI’s definition of violent crime includes murder, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery.

The 2013 numbers indicate that the country has resumed its downward trend after a brief 1.9 percent increase was recorded in 2012. Violent crime in the United States has declined in the first six months of the year during the last five out of six years.

The Midwest experienced the largest change in violent crime in the beginning of 2013, with an overall drop of 7.4 percent. Of this change, the largest decrease was recorded in forcible rape, which went down by 14.3 percent under the old definition, followed by aggravated assault, which was down by 9.1 percent.

For a visualization of recent violent crime trends see our infographic.

Violent crime also decreased in each of the eight population groupings defined by the FBI, falling more than 9 percent in cities with less than 100,000 people. The number of murder in cities with 1,000,000 people or more also decreased dramatically by 18.5 percent. Among Law Street’s most dangerous cities over 200,000, half experienced violent crime declines. One of the most notable cases was St. Louis, which saw its violent crime go down by more than 20 percent in the first six months of the year. Oakland, Calif. on the other hand experienced a violent crime increase of 10 percent, which was primarily fueled by its 30.37 percent growth in robberies.

For more information on changes in specific cities see our article here.

In addition to violent crime, property crime also decreased in the first six months of last year, going down 5.4 percent as well. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The leading contributor to this decrease was burglary, which went down 8.1 percent. Although arson decreased by 15.6 percent and is considered a property crime, the FBI does not include these statistics in property crime totals.

The 2013 report also marks the first time that the FBI’s new definition of rape has been used by law enforcement to report offense totals. The updated definition removed the word “forcible” from the term and expanded the meaning to include any kind of penetration occurring without consent. The national changes indicated by the report do not yet use statistics according to the new definition because they cannot be compared with historic data; however, the new numbers are available for the individual cities that have started using the updated definition.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Kevin Rizzo

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

The post Latest Data Shows Violent Crime Across America is Down appeared first on Law Street.

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.

The post Infographic: Crime Dropping Across the US appeared first on Law Street.

Detroit filed for bankruptcy last July with over $18 billion in debt, the biggest municipal collapse in the history of the United States. The city also has the highest crime rate among all large cities in the country, which exacerbates its economic hardships even more. Our report, Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 notes that unemployment, population reduction, slow police responses and a vast amount of abandoned buildings may be correlated with high crime rates in the city. According to Time Magazine, “Detroit is in particularly bad shape, many of its underlying issues — crushing debt and unfunded and unsustainable retiree benefits — are not unique.”

The country’s industrialization brought not only economic advancements and prosperity to the United States, but income inequality and multi-ethnicity problems to its cities. Detroit became known during the late 1950-60s as the “Motor City” or “Motown” due to the large concentration of automobile companies in its metropolitan area. Its freeway system was also constructed during industrial revolution, and facilitated the development of the city and its rapid industrialization.

However, instead of simply discussing the unfortunate economic and social hardships within the city, we should focus on what options Detroit really has for recovery!

Any suggestions?

Detroit is a city with a rich history and vibrant atmosphere, but high crime rates spoil all odds for its residents. Former Detroit Chief of Police and current Wayne County Sheriff, Benny Napoleon, reaffirmed this in his article in the Huffington Post, claiming that Detroit lost more than half of its population due to disorganized neighborhoods and high crime rates. He also proposed a Five Point Crime Reduction Plan, that should include but not be limited to the following:

– Data-driven approach

– Crime prevention

– Directed enforcement

– Problem-oriented policing

– Community policing

Sounds like a solid plan to me if staff training and implementation procedures are utilized systematically and correctly.

What has Detroit already done?!

There is a plethora of existing initiatives that have been adopted by the Detroit Police Department. Neighborhood Watch, for example provides the main line of communication between police and the community. Another useful crime prevention strategy is Citizen Observer, which is, in essence, a mobile platform that “provides updates of crimes trends, description of wanted suspects, missing persons, crime prevention tips, and other pertinent information pertaining to businesses and the community safety.” Other notable programs include Detroit’s Most Wanted and the Community and Police Advocacy (CAPPA) group, both of which equip the community with useful information and work directly with the public on a range of safety issues.

As we can see, the Detroit Police are vigorously trying to bring city crime down through community-oriented policing strategies, but one practice looks quite alarming to me: the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIC), which, according to its website, will “provide information about any offender who is, or was, in a Michigan prison, on parole or probation under the supervision of the MDOC, has transferred in or out of Michigan under the Michigan Interstate Compact, or who has escaped or absconded from their sentence.” The practice is disturbing because it can be easily misused by people to label and harass ex-offenders. It undoubtedly raises many ethical concerns.

Besides police initiatives, the Detroit community is trying to revitalize its neighborhoods to create a safe environment for all residents. The Helping Ourselves Overcome Disparities Project (Osborn HOOD) uses efforts from different city and neighborhood organizations to engage youth in community building and provide more mobility and safety to the Osborn area residents of Detroit. Osborne HOOD is an excellent example of community leadership and progressive thinking. Detroit should welcome similar initiatives in its backyard that can provide positive spillover effects and facilitate such projects on a larger scale.

Data and Necessary Surroundings

I strongly agree with the Five Point Crime Reduction Plan proposed by Benny Napoleon. Napoleon served as Detroit’s youngest Chief of Police and later became a prominent Assistant Wayne County Executive. As a longtime resident of Detroit with a 38-year public service career, he knows what is best for the city. Another important notion that he supports is the idea that comprehensive data collection is paramount in combating crime. The data-driven approach focuses on collecting and using data so we can understand patterns and try to reduce incidents of crime across neighborhoods. It’s truly a starting point for any preventive actions as well as for adequate respons times.

However, in addition to data gathering and analysis, Detroit needs systematic research on ecology of crime to understand where crime incidents are located to find the so-called “hot spots.” Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) can be utilized to make the public spaces safer. Some changes can be quite pricey, but Detroit can start with the small pieces of the puzzle that are relatively inexpensive, effective, and easy to incorporate. Small adjustments of neighborhood spaces like the replacement of blind spots with safer architectural designs, or changing the layout of streets to bolster neighbors’ interactions and provide a greater sense of community. Neighborhood watch groups should be also utilized in every community to better understand needs and the most pressing problems. The above examples are just the tip of the iceberg among the many innovative ways that CPTED can offer to transform criminogenic spaces into safe communities.

Detroit can learn a great deal about CPTED by looking at Irvine, California, which was rated the number one safest city over 200,000 population in 2012 according to our methodology. The city was carefully planned by Irvine Company in the 1960s utilizing some notions of CPTED. Omar Masry, an associate planner in the City of Irvine, California claims that implementation of CPTED in Irvine “enhances the sense of safety and security for new occupants and the surrounding neighborhood.” Using the same strategy for Detroit can render significant results in reducing its crime rates and reorganizing its communities.

So, Can We Rebuild, or Can’t We?

If we want crime reduction strategies to work in Detroit, strong police cooperation not only with communities, but with other sectors of local government, should be implemented. To eradicate “hot spots” of crime in Detroit we will need to “rebuild” the city by changing existing environments and providing safer opportunities for its residents. Communities should come together without having to wait for government and police to magically alter existing realities. The real change will happen when all human resources are pulled together including local government officials, police officers, community leaders, young professionals and educators.

It has been long proven that alone we can do so little, while together we can do so much.

—

Valeriya Metla is a young professional, passionate about international relations, immigration issues, and social and criminal justice. She holds two Bachelor Degrees in regional studies and international criminal justice. Contact Valeriya at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Gwert38 via Wikipedia]

Valeriya Metla

Valeriya Metla is a young professional, passionate about international relations, immigration issues, and social and criminal justice. She holds two Bachelor Degrees in regional studies and international criminal justice. Contact Valeriya at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Can We Rebuild Detroit? Affirmative Thoughts appeared first on Law Street.

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.

Top 10 Lists

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

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

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

Rankings & Charts

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

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

Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000: By the Numbers

100 Most Dangerous American Cities Overall: Where Does Your Home Rank?

100 Safest American Cities Overall: Where Does Your Home Rank?

100 Safest American Cities Over 200,000: Where Does Your Home Rank?

Notes

Why We Rank: The Public’s Right to Know

Defining Rape:The FBI Takes Action

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

Methodology

Complete FBI Data

Uniform Crime Report, 2012

Uniform Crime Report, 2011

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 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 ratings 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 for all Law Street Crime data.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Kevin Rizzo

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

The post Crime Ranking Methodology appeared first on Law Street.

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.

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 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

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.

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

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

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.

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