Tonight the reporter began her report by stating that Stockton is only 1 murder away from a 1992 record. Woo wouldn't you like to be famous for that??
They have had 54 since the beginning of the year, 49 of which have been committed in the last 6 mos.
So I decided to see how bad they were nationwide. What I found out was it is worse than I thought;
According to the 24/7 Wall St. blog, Stockton made number 10 and Oakland number 6.
The first article I read was:
The Most Dangerous Cities In America
Posted: May 24, 2011 at 4:50 am
10. Stockton, California
Population: 292,047
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 13.8
2010 Murders: 49
Median Income: $45,730 (8.9% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (9.4% above national average)
With a jobless rate of 18.4%, up from 18.1% a year ago, Stockton, California has one of the worst unemployment problems in the country. The huge percentage of unemployed residents may have contributed to horrible crime rates in the city, which is located 40 miles east of Oakland and San Francisco. Stockton was rated one of the most miserable cities to live in the country by Forbes in March, 2010. Violent crime was one of the chief measurements for its ranking. Of the 267 cities with populations over 100,000, Stockton has the 27th highest number of murders per 1,000 people and the 12th most aggravated assaults per 1,000. Last year, recognizing the crime problems in the city, the state temporarily diverted hundreds of California Highway Patrol officers to aid the city’s overwhelmed police department.
6. Oakland, California
Population: 409,723
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.32010 Murders: 90
Median Income: $51,473 (2.4% above national average)
Unemployment Rate: 11% (2% above national average)
Oakland’s violent crime dropped about 5.5% between 2009 and 2010, from about 6,800 to 6,260. The city nevertheless has the tenth-highest rate of rape, the ninth-highest murder rate, and the second highest robbery rate in the country. In 2010, there were 7.12 robberies for every 1,000 Oakland residents. According to an article in the San Fransisco Chronicle, Mayor Jean Quan has attempted to combat break-ins and theft by creating programs to keep potential wrongdoers off the streets by starting late-night basketball programs. It it unclear if these policies have worked.
An interesting article they published today was:
Cities Where Violent Crime Is Soaring
Posted: November 22, 2011 at 6:14 am
1. Redding, Calif.
5-year Increase in Violent Crime Rate: 321.7
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2005): 475.4
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2010): 797.1
Murders per 100,000: 1.6
The number of violent crimes per 100,000 people in Redding increased by 321.7 to a staggering 797.1 — the ninth-highest violent crime rate in the country. Robberies increased by more than 25%, and cases of aggravated assault more than doubled. As reported on Redding.com, Redding police chief Peter Hanson stated, “The spike in violence could be caused by a mix of factors, including the economy and drug addiction as well as the reduction in the number of officers on the streets due to budget cuts.”
7. Napa, Calif. (this on caught me by surprise)
5-year Increase in Violent Crime Rate: 122
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2005): 358.1
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2010): 480.1
Murders per 100,000: 1.5
The Napa County MSA is located to the northeast of San Francisco. The area fared poorly, as did much of California, between 2005 and 2010. The poverty rate jumped from 7% to 11.7% and unemployment more than doubled. Violent crime increased from 358.1 per 100,000 people (below the national average) to 480.1 per 100,000 (well above the national average.) According to the Napa Valley Register, local residents were asked what their top concerns were, and one of the biggest was violent crime. In response to rising crime, especially related to youth gangs, the county has drafted a Gang and Youth Violence Master Plan to help law enforcement officials.
This information comes from FBI crime statistics.
At first I wondered why Stockton had not made today's article then I realized the article was not about a most dangerous city, it was about cities where violent crimes were soaring. Cities where crime was escalating. Stockton isn't escalating like that, crime is just a fact of life there.
