St. Louis named most dangerous U.S. city

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

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.

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[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

First they knock Detroit in the World Series and now this - can the D not be #1 in anything any more?

[almaty 19]

the Loo...just terrible,.... Edited October 30, 2006 by almaty

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

the Loo...just terrible,....

how about them rams?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

First they knock Detroit in the World Series and now this - can the D not be #1 in anything any more?

Detroit still leads unquestionably in locals-abandonment (has since 1950 when it reached peak population).

[almaty 19]

the Loo...just terrible,....

how about them rams?

..k city is next..................

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

the Loo...just terrible,....

how about them rams?

..k city is next..................

ooooo 2 spankings in a row for st louie

[almaty 19]

the Loo...just terrible,....

how about them rams?

..k city is next..................

ooooo 2 spankings in a row for st louie

it be 3 ..they lost to seattle.....the chiefs always beat the rams..............

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

They do have good bar-b-que though. Is there a connection?

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

They do have good bar-b-que though. Is there a connection?

the rams?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Interesting information. Apparently my neck of the woods is the 23rd most safest in the country! Nice.

[almaty 19]

Interesting information. Apparently my neck of the woods is the 23rd most safest in the country! Nice.

hmmmmm...braggard..thankfully, i got a new Glock

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Interesting information. Apparently my neck of the woods is the 23rd most safest in the country! Nice.

hmmmmm...braggard..

I live in Jersey. It's not every day that I find some way to brag about that

"hey look at us, we pay the highest auto and property insurance rates in the country, yay! "

[almaty 19]

Interesting information. Apparently my neck of the woods is the 23rd most safest in the country! Nice.

hmmmmm...braggard..

I live in Jersey. It's not every day that I find some way to brag about that

"hey look at us, we pay the highest auto and property insurance rates in the country, yay! "

......................joisey suxs

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

St. Louis mayor disputes crime ranking

ST. LOUIS - Mayor Francis Slay said a research company is dead wrong to call St. Louis the most dangerous city in the United States.

"It's bogus," Slay said of Morgan Quitno Press's annual ranking, which was released Monday. "To suggest that St. Louis is more dangerous than Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Chicago — it just doesn't make any sense."

St. Louis placed at the top of the most dangerous list after murders in the city jumped nearly 20 percent between 2004 and 2005, according to Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books.

Slay said the group used population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau that were too low, exaggerating the crime statistics. The city previously challenged the Census Bureau's figures, getting the population estimate bumped up from roughly 330,000 people to 353,000 people.

Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno, said he used a population estimate of 346,000 derived from an FBI report. Changing the figure to 353,000 doesn't change St. Louis's ranking, Morgan said.

Slay noted that the ranking only looks at crime within St. Louis city limits. More than 1 million people live in suburbs outside the city and including them in the study would greatly dilute the overall crime rate, Slay said.

Morgan agreed, but said St. Louis still beat out several cities like Philadelphia and Detroit that have a similar population divide. He said cities like New York City benefit in the rankings because they include higher-income and lower-crime areas like Staten Island.

"St. Louis is not unique in being a core city surrounded by affluent areas" in different jurisdictions, he said.

Slay acknowledged there are high-crime neighborhoods inside the city that push up the rate of murders and robberies. He said city voters passed an increase in business license fees this year that will raise more than $3 million annually for law enforcement programs.

The city is in the process of hiring and training 40 new police officers and started a program in the prosecutor's office to crack down on career criminals.

Slay said new lofts, restaurants and offices being built downtown show the city is safer than the study concluded.

"People are coming to the city, they like the city. They feel safe here," Slay said.

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