Camden Most Dangerous U.S. City—Again
By TERESA MASTERSON
Updated 11:45 AM EST, Mon, Nov 23, 2009
Philly’s neighbor to the east gives residents more of a reason to stay on this side of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Yet again, Camden, N.J. is named the most dangerous in the nation.
The national study found that Camden had more than 2,300 violent crimes for every 10,000 residents in 2008. The city came in dead last on the list of 393 cities.
Based on F.B.I. crime data, and a method of ranking that some criminologists say is unfair, Camden has been consistently in the top 10 of the annual “most dangerous cities” list. This makes 2008, 2003 and 2004 the years it was graced with the top rank.
The most frustrating part of the results of the national study is that Camden still received the nefarious title for a year when the number of murders dropped and the city implemented major changes to the police department.
Camden Police Inspector Mike Lynch told the Daily News that the city’s crime rate went down by 14 percent in 2009 under Chief Scott Thomson. The city has had 31 homicides this year.
"There's been significant progress over the year," Lynch told the Daily News. "While there is much work to be done, the reality is that Camden is a much safer city statistically and through the eyes of the residents."
St. Louis, Oakland, Calif., Detroit and Flint, Mich. Joined Camden in the top five. Colonie, N.Y. was ranked the safest city with more than 75,000 residents.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Philadelphia
First Published: Nov 23, 2009 11:24 AM EST
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