TRENTON — A national study finds St. Louis overtook Camden, N.J., as the nation's most dangerous city in 2009. The study released today by CQ Press found St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. That helped St. Louis beat out Camden, which topped last year's list and was the most...
Camden Police Officers Raphael Thornton, left, Bill Reese, center, and Ryan Bell, right, go on foot as they prepare to sweep an alley in this 2009 file photo. The Camden Police department has been heavily run by the state, for several years, and they've been making aggressive changes in the past years, as they deal with the violent streets of Camden.TRENTON — A national study finds St. Louis overtook Camden, N.J., as the nation's most dangerous city in 2009.
The study released today by CQ Press found St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. That helped St. Louis beat out Camden, which topped last year's list and was the most dangerous city for 2003 and 2004.
Detroit, Flint, Mich., and Oakland, Calif., rounded out the top five.
For the second straight year, the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie, N.Y.
The annual rankings are based on population figures and crime data compiled by the FBI. Some criminologists question the findings, saying the methodology is unfair.
Previous coverage:
• Camden tops '08 list of dangerous U.S. cities
• Drop in homicide rates contributes to decline in overall N.J. crime, report shows
• N.J. violent crime drops 6 percent to lowest point in at least a decade
• N.J. Democrats propose changes for police, firefighter contract dispute arbitration
• N.J. police salaries rank highest in nation with median pay of $90,672
• N.J.'s inmate population declines, officials credit less crime, prisoner re-entry programs
• May 2009: N.J. report shows crime rose 5 percent in early 2008
• April 2009: New statistics show crime surge in Union County last year
• Sept. 2009: N.J. crime rate rose in '08, despite drop in violent cases
• Aug. 2009: Murders drop 24 percent in N.J. as law enforcement focuses on gangs
• Aug. 2007: Gun Killings on the Rise