- Crime in St. Louis, Missouri
-
St. Louis City Crime rates (2010) Crime type Rate* Homicide: 45.1 Forcible rape: 58.9 Robbery: 665.5 Aggravated assault: 1173.8 Violent crime: 1943.4 Burglary: 2099.9 Larceny-theft: 5122.6 Motor vehicle theft: 1335.1 Arson: 79.2 Property crime: 8636.9 Notes
* Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
Source: St. Louis Crime Statistics Crime in St. Louis, Missouri increased from the 1970s through the early 1990s as measured by the index crime rate, followed by a decline in index crime rates through 2010. Despite decreased overall crime rates, homicide rates remain higher than the United States national average and higher than the average for urban areas. In addition, St. Louis has consistently been ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States; however, these rankings are controversial and do not necessarily reflect the crime risk of the metropolitan area, due to the status of St. Louis as an independent city that is politically separate from St. Louis County.
Contents
Crime trends
Historical crime trends since 1970
Starting in the 1960s, St. Louis City (distinct from St. Louis County) saw increases in its index crime and homicide rates, which both peaked in the early 1990s. However, St. Louis saw its peak number of index crimes and homicides in 1970. Although some of the reduction in the number of index crimes since the early 1990s can be attributed to St. Louis's loss of population, other factors include low inflation, the decline of open-air drug markets, and a decline in crack cocaine use.[1]
Index crime and homicides in St. Louis City (1970-2009) Year Population[2] Index crimes[3][4][5][6] Index crime rate[7] Homicides[3] Homicide rate[7] 1970 622236 71437 11480.7 309 49.7 1971 602600 67464 11195.5 277 46.0 1972 579600 65140 11238.8 250 43.1 1973 539300 63852 11839.8 254 47.1 1974 530800 66400 12509.4 227 42.8 1975 514000 69399 13501.8 274 53.3 1976 505300 62747 12417.8 224 44.3 1977 486800 55450 11390.7 195 40.1 1978 470900 54485 11570.4 210 44.6 1979 457500 57567 12583.0 265 57.9 1980 450790 65081 14437.1 225 49.9 1981 454166 63097 13892.9 265 58.3 1982 455362 60500 13286.1 226 49.6 1983 457262 51302 11219.4 152 33.2 1984 442528 47628 10762.7 128 28.9 1985 431109 49540 11491.3 169 39.2 1986 434298 51721 11909.1 195 44.9 1987 429414 54971 12801.4 153 35.6 1988 425187 57215 13456.4 140 32.9 1989 405066 62683 15474.8 158 39.0 1990 396685 58886 14844.5 177 44.6 1991 399858 64103 16031.4 260 65.0 1992 402573 59579 14799.6 231 57.4 1993 387053 64438 16648.4 267 69.0 1994 390437 63839 16350.7 248 63.5 1995 371425 59736 16082.9 204 54.9 1996 374041 56588 15128.8 166 44.4 1997 377221 51214 13576.7 153 40.6 1998 344153 51459 14952.4 113 32.8 1999 340836 47711 13998.2 130 38.1 2000 348189 50653 14547.6 124 35.6 2001 350336 52635 15024.1 148 42.3 2002 353004 50429 14285.7 111 31.4 2003 340256 52294 15369.0 74 21.8 2004 335143 45761 13654.2 113 33.7 2005 346005 46568 13458.8 131 37.9 2006 346879 49312 14215.9 129 37.2 2007 348197 41555 11934.3 138 39.6 2008 356204 37826 10619.2 167 46.9 2009 355208 36948 10401.8 143 40.3 Current crime
In 2010, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reported 33,782 index crimes, which was the lowest total reported index crimes since 1967 (however, index crimes in 1967 did not include larceny under $50, arson, or non-negligent manslaughter).[8][1] The index crime rate fell 9.2 percent from 2009, with a 15.6 percent decline in violent crime and a 7.6 percent decline in property crime.[1] However, Chief of Police Daniel Isom noted in the report that both homicides and burglaries remain problems in the city.[1]
Index crime and homicides in St. Louis City Year Population[2] Total index crimes[3] Index crime rate[7] Homicides[3] Homicide rate[7] 2010 319294 33782 10580.2 144 45.1 In 2009, 67 police departments in St. Louis County[9] reported 33,718 index crimes, and three departments did not report crime to the FBI (these include the departments of Wellston, Normandy, and Lakeshire). When St. Louis County and St. Louis City statistics are combined, crime rates decrease significantly for the area.
Index crime and homicides in St. Louis County and City in 2009 Municipality Population[2][10] Total index crimes[3] Index crime rate[7] Homicides[3] Homicide rate[7] St. Louis County 989966 33718 3406.0 36 3.6 St. Louis City 355208 36948 10401.8 143 40.3 Total 1345204 70666 5253.2 179 13.4 "Most Dangerous City" rankings
In 1994, Morgan Quitno (a private research and publishing company purchased by CQ Press in 2007) began publishing reports that named St. Louis City among the "most dangerous" cities in the United States. Although the methodology for the reports changed during the 1990s, St. Louis retained its ranking in the top ten most dangerous cities, and it was named the most dangerous city in the United States three times, most recently in 2010.
"Most Dangerous" ranking of St. Louis (1994-2010) Year[11] City ranking[12] MSA ranking 1994 2 - 1995 3 - 1996 3 - 1997 8 - 1998 5 - 1999 5 - 2000 3 - 2001 3 - 2002 3 - 2003 1 - 2004 2 - 2005 4 - 2006 3 - 2007 1 - 2008 4 212 2009 2 230 2010 1 N/A For the two years that it was ranked by CQ Press (in 2008 and 2009), the St. Louis metropolitan statistical area ranked considerably more safe than the city alone. In addition to the CQ Press rankings, other rankings of the area also suggest that the metropolitan area is considerably safer than the city alone. In its 2009 ranking of most dangerous cities, Forbes magazine did not rank the St. Louis metropolitan area among the 15 most dangerous in the United States.[13] St. Louis also was not ranked among the ten worst cities for auto theft by Forbes in 2011.[14]
St. Louis's ranking has not been without controversy; University of Missouri-St. Louis professors and criminologists Richard Rosenfeld and Janet Lauritsen criticized the rankings for their lack of transparency and their over-reliance on Uniform Crime Reports as data sources.[15] They also argue that the rankings are not meaningful indicators of risk of victimization, as certain factors such as age, lifestyle, and neighborhood play a significant role in crime risk.[15] Upon St. Louis's ranking as most dangerous city in 2010, the administration of Washington University in St. Louis criticized the rankings as flawed, and representatives for St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay noted that crime in the city decreased each year since 2007 and criticized the report for not included regional crime information.[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Bogan, Jesse (20 January 2011). "Police say St. Louis crime numbers lowest since 1967". Post-Dispatch (St. Louis). http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_54415090-65c0-5d30-92ac-e89951bd98ba.html.
- ^ a b c Population figures prior to 1970 only reflect decennial census reports; from 1970 to 2010, population figures reflect annual estimates and decennial census reports.
- ^ a b c d e f Uniform Crime Reports for the United States (1930-2010).
- ^ Prior to 1973, larceny of property worth less than $50 was not included in index crime totals but was reported to the FBI; however, the number here includes all reported larcenies.
- ^ Prior to 1979, arson was not included in index crime totals and was not reported to the FBI.
- ^ Prior to 1979, non-negligent manslaughter was not included in index crime totals but was reported to the FBI; however, the number here includes all reported murders and non-negligent manslaughters.
- ^ a b c d e f Rates are calculated per 100,000 residents.
- ^ Index crimes for 2010 included homicide/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, and arson.
- ^ The police departments that reported data included those of Arnold, Ballwin, Bella Villa, Bellefontaine Neighbors, Bellerive, Bel-Nor, Bel-Ridge, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Breckenridge Hills, Brentwood, Bridgeton, Calverton Park, Charlack, Chesterfield, Clayton, Cool Valley, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Dellwood, Des Peres, Edmundson, Ellisville, Eureka, Ferguson, Flordell Hills, Florissant, Frontenac (includes Huntleigh and Westwood), Glendale, Glen Echo Park, Greendale, Hazelwood, Hillsdale, Jennings, Kirkwood, Ladue, Manchester, Maplewood, Maryland Heights, (includes Champ), Moline Acres, Northwoods, Norwood, Oakland, Olivette, Overland (includes Sycamore Hills), Pacific, Pagedale, Pasadena Park, Pine Lawn, Richmond Heights, Riverview, Rock Hill, Shrewsbury (includes Mackenzie), St. Ann, St. John, Sunset Hills, Town and Country, University City, Uplands Park, Velda City, Velda Village Hills, Vinita Park, Warson Woods, Webster Groves, Woodson Terrace, and St. Louis County Police (includes unincorporated St. Louis County, Blackjack, Clarkson Valley, Fenton, Grantwood Village, Green Park, Hanley Hills, Kinloch, Marlborough, Norwood Court, Pasadena Hills, St. George, Twin Oaks, Valley Park, Vinita Terrace, Wilbur Park, Wildwood, and Winchester).
- ^ The population figure shown for St. Louis County is the population of St. Louis County minus that of the three municipalities did not report crime statistics to the FBI in 2009.
- ^ For each year, data used in the ranking is from the previous year.
- ^ Morgan Quitno/CQ Press (1994-2010).
- ^ O'Malley Greenburg, Zach (23 April 2009). "America's Most Dangerous Cities". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/23/most-dangerous-cities-lifestyle-real-estate-dangerous-american-cities.html.
- ^ Elliott, Hannah (21 June 2011). "The Worst Cities For Auto Theft". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/20/worst-cities-auto-theft.html.
- ^ a b Richard Rosenfeld; Rachel Lauritsen (2008). "The Most Dangerous Crime Rankings". Contexts 7 (1): 66–67. http://contexts.org/articles/winter-2008/the-most-dangerous-crime-rankings/. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ Merlin, Michelle (1 December 2010). "St. Louis ranked again as most dangerous city". Student Life (Washington University) (St. Louis). http://www.studlife.com/news/2010/12/01/st-louis-ranked-again-as-most-dangerous-city/.
External links
City of St. Louis 
Categories:
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
