Saint Louis?

[Tom Strange]

St. Louis Named Most Dangerous U.S. City

By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD, Associated Press Writer

Mon Oct 30, 8:53 AM

The St. Louis Gateway Arch is part of the ...

ST. LOUIS - A surge in violence made St. Louis the most dangerous city in the country, leading a trend of violent crimes rising much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to an annual list.

The city has long fared poorly in the rankings of the safest and most dangerous American cities compiled by Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent in St. Louis from 2004 to last year, when the rate of such crimes rose most dramatically in the Midwest, according to FBI figures released in June.

"It's just sad the way this city is," resident Sam Dawson said. "On the news you hear killings, someone's been shot."

The ranking, being released Monday, came as the city was still celebrating Friday's World Series victory at the new Busch Stadium. St. Louis has been spending millions of dollars on urban renewal even as the crime rate climbs.

Mayor Francis Slay did not return calls to his office seeking comment Sunday.

Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, said he was not surprised to see St. Louis top the list, since it has been among the 10 most dangerous cities for years.

The study looks at crime only within St. Louis city limits, with a population of about 330,000, Morgan said. It doesn't take into account the suburbs in St. Louis County, which has roughly 980,000 residents.

Visiting St. Louis on Thursday, FBI director Robert Mueller said it was too early to tell why some types of crime were rising faster in the Midwest.

Mueller said the FBI is working harder to form partnerships with police departments to launch programs like St. Louis' Safe Streets task force, which focuses police efforts on problematic neighborhoods.

The safest city in 2005 was Brick, N.J., with a population about 78,000, followed by Amherst, N.Y., and Mission Viejo, Calif. The second most dangerous city was Detroit, followed by Flint, Mich., and Compton, Calif.

The bad news for St. Louis was good for Camden, N.J., which in 2005 was named the most dangerous city for the second year in a row.

Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.

"You made my day!" said Faison, who has served since 2000. "There's a new hope and a new spirit."

Cities are ranked based on more than just their crime rate, Morgan said. Individual crimes such as rape or burglary are measured separately, compared to national averages and then compiled to give a city its ranking. Crimes are weighted based on their level of danger.

The national FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St. Louis jumped 16 percent from 2004 to 2005, compared with 4.8 percent nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly 20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.

While crime increased in all regions last year, the 5.7 percent rise in the 12 Midwestern states was at least three times higher than any other region, according to the FBI.

___

Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

Oh well... at least they have a World Series Championship!

I wonder if any of that last line has to do with Katrina? I'm being serious here, not picking on NOLA... the murder rate in Houston doubled I think...

[Sudo]

Tom,

I'm in one of the highest cities as well.. Memphis. Most of us just stick around the (relatively) safe suburbs and let the urban animals feed.

sudo

[krys]

Hang on Sudo. I'm sure there is a gang or a coven headed to a high school near you soon.

[YIdon'tgotochurch]

I have to do this

www.onwatchtech.com

We'll go anywhere.

[VeganXTC]

I'm glad I moved to Milwaukee. (318) Its so much safer than Indianapolis (320), where I used to live.

Here's the complete list so you can see how safe your city is. http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/li...030131109990008

[mstar1]

Congratulations St Louis

#1 In Baseball and Violence

[johniam]

Hmm. Methinx those stats are flawed. The Places Rated Almanac rated STL the 22nd best place to live in the US. Cincinnatti was #1. PRA rates cities based on cost of living, jobs, housing, transportation, education, health care, crime, the arts, recreation, and climate. The 2 worst cities on crime were New York and Miami, yet overall Miami was ranked 33rd and NY 105th out of 343.

I live in north STL county which has a larger minority population than anywhere else in the county. I don't spend much time in the STL city limits, but when we go to a concert or sporting event downtown we usually take the metrolink train. We are not afraid to go where we have to go. Maybe we're like Sudo.

By the way, Boston was ranked 17th, Memphis 97th, and Dallas 94th. Also, the 4 worst overall places to live were Yuba City, CA, Merced, CA, Waterbury, CT, and Sumter, SC.

Edited November 2, 2006 by johniam

[mstar1]

Maybe these thing are slightly flawed...

New York, was recently named the Worlds Politest City

[Seth R.]

Well Crap I could have told you Camden wasn't on the list anymore I live right across the street from Camden and haven't heard a gun shot in 3 months. But winter is coming and so a new year, OK Camden let's kick that St. Louis buttox!

Seth

Edited November 8, 2006 by Seth R.