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Report finds
St. Louis most dangerous U.S. city
Research group: Violent crime grew by 20 percent; Detroit at
No. 2
ST. LOUIS -
Just days after the St. Louis Cardinals won the top honor in
Major League Baseball, their hometown jumped to first place
on a list no one wants to lead: the most dangerous cities in
the United States.
This Midwestern
city has long been in the upper tiers of the annual ranking
of the nation’s safest and most dangerous cities, compiled
by Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20
percent there this year, when the rate of such crimes rose
much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation,
according to FBI figures released in June.
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 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.
Morgan said the
study looks at crime only within St. Louis city limits, with
a population of about 330,000. It doesn’t take into account
the suburbs in St. Louis County, which has roughly 980,000
residents.
The safest city
in 2005 was Brick, N.J., 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 national
FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St.
Louis jumped 16 percent in 2005, compared with 4.8 percent
nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly
20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.
Midwest's rise
outpaces nation
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.
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.
This year’s
ranking was good news 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.”
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