8:50 a.m. CDT, August 27, 2013
The Chicago area (click here) will broil today in near record-breaking heat that has prompted some schools to close for the day or cancel afternoon classes.
The high will climb into the middle 90s but the heat index -- how it feels -- could hit 103, according to the National Weather Service. The record high temperature for this date is 97 set in 1973.
The smothering air is expected to stay with us for the rest of the week, with no real relief until Labor Day when the highs will only be in the lower 80s, the weather service said....
Crime tends to escalate in the heat as well. This is the worst time in USA history when record number of guns should be on the street.
Our research reveals the 100 most dangerous cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.
What Detroit isn't in the Top Ten? (click here)
This index is really sad. Number one is East St. Louis, Illinois with a safety rating of 0 out of 100. 100 is the safest a city can be.
Number 100 is Sarasota, Florida with a rating of 3 of 100. I looked at their methodology and I am not convinced this is a reflection of reality. Depending on the statistical analysis crimes can be weighted to their severity and outcomes/lethality and impact on quality of life and then the incidence of the crime/long term economic impact of crime included to reflect HIGH RISK.
I don't know if I have ever seen an accurate depiction of a city or a neighborhood. In other words, every neighborhood has risk. That risk can be mitigated by insurance costs and quality of life. If crime happens too often the insurance costs in a neighborhood or city will increase. If crime is rampant the quality of life is effected and it is mostly noted in hospital admission statistics as related to the immediate and long term effects of crime on quality of life.
I don't believe raw data coming from the FBI is low in statistical error or at all complete. Sincerely, there is much more to "The Safe City" than simply an accounting sheet by law enforcement. There is crime not reported and is tampered with by politicians when it is reported. There are better ways to measure the safety of cities. Mostly, quality of life through economics of insurance costs and hospital statistics.
That method is longer to work and requires cultural anthropologists to sort though it.
Payment of life insurance due to crime would be an interesting place to start though along with insurance payments post crime. The incidence of insurance would also have to be realized to discover the statistical impact of that statistic though. Basically, are higher risk communities a place where people are insured? The fall back to accuracy would be hospital statistics. Quite possibly that is the better indicator to community safety. The exception there is some crimes aren't reflected in hospital incidence. The two components, insurance payments and hospital admissions would provide a picture of crime even when it wasn't reported to policing authorities.
Quality of life, not just sheer numbers.
Rank City
The Top Ten
| 10 | Inkster, MI |
| 9 | Newburgh, NY |
| 8 | St. Louis, MO |
| 7 | Atlantic City, NJ |
| 6 | Detroit, MI |
| 5 | Saginaw, MI |
| 4 | West Memphis, AR |
| 3 | Flint, MI |
| 2 | Camden, NJ |
| 1 | East St. Louis, IL |
| 100 | Sarasota, FL | |||||||||||
| 99 | Muskegon, MI | |||||||||||
| 98 | Melbourne, FL | |||||||||||
| 97 | Richmond, CA | |||||||||||
| 96 | Rocky Mount, NC | |||||||||||
| 95 | Lawrence, MA | |||||||||||
| 94 | Bridgeport, CT | |||||||||||
| 93 | Miami Beach, FL | |||||||||||
| 92 | Milwaukee, WI | |||||||||||
| 91 | Worcester, MA | |||||||||||
| 90 | Tulsa, OK |
