New York had more violent crimes than any other city in the United States last year, according to an annual FBI report released Monday.
More than 50,000 instances of violent crime were reported last year in New York (population 8.3 million), according to the FBI’s 2013 Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Houston (population 2.2 million) was second, with 20,000.
However, Chicago (population 2.7 million) didn’t have any recorded data. The FBI warned in a footnote that it determined that Chicago’s “data were underreported,” and therefore were not included in the annual report. It also said that Chicago’s methods for collecting data on rape don’t match those used in the rest of the country.
The FBI cautioned against using the data to rank the cities.
“These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area or region,” the bureau said. “Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.”
Nationwide, violent crime such as murder, assault and rape decreased by 4.4 percent from 2012, and now stands at an estimated 368 incidents per 100,000 people, the report said. Law enforcement agencies made 11.3 million arrests for violent and non-violent crimes last year.
“Although the threats we face and the technology we use to collect information about these threats may change, collaboration among law enforcement agencies remains the backbone of the UCR Program,” said FBI Director James Comey. “Law enforcement, government officials and others in turn used that data to make decisions — to plan and allocate resources that help fight crime and enforce the law.”
The District of Columbia (population 646,000) was 15th on the list — higher than close neighbor Richmond (214,000), at 98, but lower than Baltimore (population 622,000), at 11.
Several small cities reported no violent crimes, the largest of which was Ridgefield, Connecticut (population 25,000).
The FBI publishes the crime data annually, culled from police department reports around the country.
The top 10:
1. New York
2. Houston
3. Philadelphia
4. Los Angeles
5. Detroit
6. Las Vegas
7. Memphis
8. Indianapolis
9. Phoenix
10. San Antonio
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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