Every July, the Department of Justice releases statistics showing which states have the highest crime rates and which have the lowest. This beneficial information helps men and women in law enforcement to know where to focus their efforts and which new tactics have improved crime. This year, the statistics show that Los Angeles has the lowest crime rate among major U.S. cities. Despite feuding gangs in downtown Los Angeles and various murder cases this year, the city has still fallen more and more devoid of large crimes. Recently, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced that L.A. is the safest big city in America.

The city of L.A. has experienced less than 9,000 violent crimes this year, including homicides, murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults. This is a 9 percent drop from the amount of crimes last year at this point. The city has also been able to reduce gang crime by 8 percent so far this year, and there was a 21 percent drop in people shot by gang members. The city credits their crime-reducing success to a realignment law that is sending more criminals who have committed minor crimes to jail, rather than to prison. However, the men and women sent to these jails are starting to pile up, and L.A. is looking at relocating prisoners to the middle of the state in less-populated facilities. North Carolina is also proud to announce that the crime in the state fell by 0.9 percent in calculations up to this June. This makes Raleigh, North Carolina the city with the lowest crime rate since 1977.

Over-all, some cities are making it out of the crime rut better than others. Detroit is still in a dangerous position, with over 68,000 significant crimes committed per year. The city has a high rate of arson. The Huffington Post says that homicides may be down in this area, but serious crimes are up. The Associated Press says that Detroit’s a serious crime rate has risen by at least 2 percent this year. Birmingham, Alabama, and Orlando, Florida have almost identical crime rates. In Alabama, must crimes are based in murder and manslaughter and the rate of all property crime in the area is 50 percent higher than the national average. Orlando’s crime rate is about 60 percent higher than the national average. The crime rates have slightly decreased since the installment of surveillance cameras. Other cities that are considered dangerous include Atlanta, where motor vehicle theft is rampant and burglary is popularly reported. St. Louis, Missouri, has a crime rate that is 5 times that national average, though the police department is seeking to reduce crime there as much as possible.

Yet the highest murder rate in America, as recently revealed, is in Chicago, where people are shot and killed almost every day due to horrific gun violence. Many young people are murdered this way as a result of the gang activity. Despite the new focus on “stop-and-frisk” police confrontation, it seems that men and women are still vulnerable to crimes. This is in part because police are spending so much time stopping and interrogating suspicious individuals on the street that they are not able to arrive at crime scenes until after the victim has passed away. No matter where you are, crime can happen. In fact, there are times that you may be the one who has committed the crime. Whether your offense was out of ignorance, negligence, or you have been framed, an attorney can help. Don’t take another step in your law case if you don’t have a professional lawyer there to help you every step of the way!