El Paso named safest (large) U.S. city.

El Paso? Texas? Safest city?

Maybe the troops should be sent to St. Louie.

www.elpasotimes.com...

Something doesn't add up here. I thought it was the "wild" west! El Paso is doing something right, good for them.

reply to post by Stewie

This is a somewhat unexpected comment from the article.

Criminologists cite other factors, including studies that show cities with a high number of Hispanic immigrants tend to have low crime rates.

A "study" was cited without reference. It would be interesting to find that study. I believe it may have more to do with trust in government. Also from the article.

One theory by an Ohio State University researcher argues that murder rates are linked to trust in government and a sense of belonging. When trust fails, people settle their own scores violently.

Either way, across the border, one of the unsafest places to live exist in Juarez, Mexico.

Know what the bigger story here is????
this headline is a “a premeditated statistical mugging of America’s cities.” not my words but click the link
U.S. Conference of Mayors Denounces Crime Rankings as Bogus, Damaging to Cities

The U.S. Conference of Mayors today denounced the expected release of city-by-city crime rankings by CQ Press as “a premeditated statistical mugging of America’s cities.” The book containing the rankings is scheduled for publication on Monday, November 22.

.“These rankings represent a gross misuse of FBI data,” said Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker, Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee. “Everyone with the slightest knowledge of this issue knows the rankings are not credible, but the publication persists with them, presumably because rankings are popular and sell books. Unfortunately, they also do real harm to the reputation and economy of the cities that come out on the losing end, often through no fault of their own.”

reply to post by DaddyBare

I read the link, thanks for providing it.
The information is clearly not made up, just that the ranking system itself is flawed as noted. Having said that, it could certainly be used as a guide, if not a comprehensive analysis.
I can see how many cities would not want this "service", those that are high in crime for instance. I would couple this data with other significant statistics, like unemployment and whether the population is declining or growing and why.
Thanks for the comment.

Having grown up near El Paso and still having family that lives in the area, this is very surprising. The only thing I can think of which must be relating to this low crime rate is the fact that a lot of lower income people live outside of El Paso, commuting in for work & school, because of El Paso's high vehicle taxes, property taxes, and sales tax. There are a lot of people who now live in what used to be the No Man's, only dairies strip of land between Las Cruces, Anthony, and El Paso. Sky rocketing tax rates & vehicle registration fees in El Paso from the early 90s onward are a large reason for this. Most crime tracked on the FBI charts is connectable to lower incomes & poorer conditions of living, so it would be logical to assume the people who are unable/unwilling to pay the higher rates could fall into that category and be more likely to contribute to crime statistics (either as a perpetrator or victim).