(Detroit) — In another blow to the Motor City's tarnished image, Detroit pushed past St. Louis to become the nation's most dangerous city, according to a private research group's controversial analysis, released Sunday, of annual FBI crime statistics.
The study drew harsh criticism even before it came out. The American Society of Criminology launched a pre-emptive strike Friday, issuing a statement attacking it as "an irresponsible misuse" of crime data.
The 14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America" was published by CQ Press, a unit of Congressional Quarterly Inc. It is based on the FBI's Sept. 24 crime statistics report.
The report looked at 378 cities with at least 75,000 people based on per-capita rates for homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft. Each crime category was considered separately and weighted based on its seriousness, CQ Press said.
Last year's crime leader, St. Louis, fell to No. 2. Another Michigan city, Flint, ranked third, followed by Oakland Calif.; Camden, N.J.; Birmingham, Ala.; North Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Richmond, Calif.; and Cleveland.
The study ranked Mission Viejo, Calif., as the safest U.S. city, followed by Clarkstown, N.Y.; Brick Township, N.J.; Amherst, N.Y.; and Sugarland, Texas.
CQ Press spokesman Ben Krasney said details of the weighting system were proprietary. It was compiled by Kathleen O'Leary Morgan and Scott Morgan, whose Morgan Quitno Press published it until its acquisition by CQ Press.
The study assigns a crime score to each city, with zero representing the national average. Detroit got a score of 407, while St. Louis followed at 406. The score for Mission Viejo, in affluent Orange County, was minus 82.
Detroit was pegged the nation's murder capital in the 1980s and has lost nearly 1 million people since 1950, according to the Census Bureau. Downtown sports stadiums and corporate headquarters — along with the redevelopment of the riverfront of this city of 919,000 — have slowed but not reversed the decline. Officials have said crime reports don't help.
Detroit Deputy Police Chief James Tate had no immediate comment on the report. But the mayor of 30th-ranked Rochester, N.Y. — an ex-police chief himself — said the study's authors should consider the harm that the report causes.
"What I take exception to is the use of these statistics and the damage they inflict on a number of these cities," said Mayor Robert Duffy, chairman of the Criminal and Social Justice Committee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The rankings "do groundless harm to many communities," said Michael Tonry, president of the American Society of Criminology.
"They also work against a key goal of our society, which is a better understanding of crime-related issues by both scientists and the public," Tonry said.
Critics also complain that numbers don't tell the whole story because of differences among cities.
"You're not comparing apples and oranges; you're comparing watermelons and grapes," said Rob Casey, who heads the FBI section that puts out the Uniform Crime Report that provides the data for the Quitno report.
The FBI posted a statement on its Web site criticizing such use of its statistics.
"These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region," the FBI said. "Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents."
Doug Goldenberg-Hart, acquisitions editor at CQ Press, said that the rankings are imperfect, but that the numbers are straightforward. Cities at the top of the list would not be there unless they ranked poorly in all six crime categories, he said.
"The idea that people oppose it, it's kind of blaming the messenger," Goldenberg-Hart said. "It's not coming to terms with the idea that crime is a persistent problem in our society."
The report "helps concerned Americans learn how their communities fare in the fight against crime," CQ Press said in a statement. "The first step in making our cities and states safer is to understand the true magnitude of their crime problems. This will only be achieved through straightforward data that all of us can use and understand."
The study excluded Chicago, Minneapolis, and other Illinois and Minnesota cities because of incomplete data.
Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:33 pm
twotap F L I N T O I D
I find it interesting they excluded Chicago.
Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:56 pm
last time here Guest
my god..flint outranked oakland, ca. land of the gangster thugs??????
well, all i can say is they better not attempt to sneak in my house!!
ole' LT will beat them with a donut!!!!!!
_________________ Guest post
Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:29 pm
Ted Jankowski F L I N T O I D
I couldn't help but comment on this one. Based on Real Population stats or on ficticous ones used by the government. Estimated amount 119,000 or an actual amount of 111,964 for 2005. I don't have a study for 2006 yet. But we know it didin't go up.
Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:04 pm
Ted Jankowski F L I N T O I D
but that won't matter. See Flint will drop way down on the list for 2007. since the Mayor finally open the city jail. Now, if he can get the Federal Government to use the real population infromation for 2007, he will be able to sho a DRASTIC drop in Crime in Flint in 2007. Which could possibly get us off the Nations Top 10 list.
Although, just getting us back to the level when he took over. I don't believ is a great thing. Had he opened the Jail as he promised. We wouldn't have needed to hire 50 new officers and buy new Tahoes. Anyway. I'm looking forward to 2007's numbers.
Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:09 pm
rapunzel11 F L I N T O I D
quote:Ted Jankowski schreef:
but that won't matter. See Flint will drop way down on the list for 2007. since the Mayor finally open the city jail. Now, if he can get the Federal Government to use the real population infromation for 2007, he will be able to sho a DRASTIC drop in Crime in Flint in 2007. Which could possibly get us off the Nations Top 10 list.
Although, just getting us back to the level when he took over. I don't believ is a great thing. Had he opened the Jail as he promised. We wouldn't have needed to hire 50 new officers and buy new Tahoes. Anyway. I'm looking forward to 2007's numbers.
If i remember right we were down in some catagories but Up in others like theft/burgulary.
Rap
_________________ The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
John F. Kennedy, speech at Vanderbilt University, May 18, 1963
Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:37 pm
Dave Starr F L I N T O I D
Interesting that New Orleans isn't on the list, or has their population dropped too far?
Also, heard Detroit's Police Chief on the radio this morning, complaining about the list. She said LA has gangs; Detroit has small groups of people that occasionally come together for a single purpose, and those are not gangs. Hey, Chief! I can get you a great deal on some ocean front property in Kansas!
_________________ I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos.
Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:52 am
twotap F L I N T O I D
quote:
LT will beat them with a donut!!!!!!
A magnum Krispy kreme?
Heres my grandaughter being taught the best way to guard against the bangers. Nothing like a 9mm subgun to get em on the right track.
Last edited by twotap on Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:13 pm
Ted Jankowski F L I N T O I D
quote:
If i remember right we were down in some catagories but Up in others like theft/burgulary.
Rap
To me the real test will be the numbers at the end of the year on the city website.
Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:20 pm
last time here Guest
what the hell are you doing 2tap!!!!!!
she should be playing with barbie and chattie cathy!!!!
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Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:01 pm
FlintConservative F L I N T O I D
quote:twotap schreef:
Heres my grandaughter being taught the best way to guard against the bangers. Nothing like a 9mm subgun to get em on the right track.
Damn twotap...that brings a tear to my eye. That is an absolutely beautiful picture. I wonder how many of the bangers were taught gun safety by their parents? Hell, I wonder how many of the bangers KNOW both of their parents!
Barbie dolls? well she does that also. Nothing like a well rounded upbringing. Can you imagine the reaction if she gave a report on what she did last summer. Them lib teachers would have called a swat team and had the school locked down. By the way she was just invited to join the national honor society, gets all As in her classes and is one of the most intelligent, well mannered, and plesant young ladies you would care to meet. But by god she will have the means and knowledge to defend herself when she becomes old enough to do so, Her parents and I will see to it that she refuses to be a victim. Of course we could have told her the message of the libs, how firearms are evil and that she should never touch one, and all she will ever need to be safe is a cellphone. ya that works real well
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