CQ Press has released its annual list of cities with the best and worst crime rates. Groups from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the FBI decry the list for being simplistic, but CQ defends its data.
"The CQ Press "City Crime Rankings" list named New Orleans its most crime-ridden city based on a reported 19,000-plus incidences of six major crimes -- including 209 murder cases -- in 2007.
The Gulf Coast city of about 250,000, still grappling with the aftermath of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, was followed in the rankings by Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; and Oakland, California."
"The study's publishers said they dropped previous characterizations of "safest" and "most dangerous" from this year's study, calling those qualities "perceptions of the individuals who live in these communities." But they defended the comparisons as a valuable tool for researchers and the public."
FULL STORY: New Orleans ranks highest in crime, survey finds
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