Detroit remained the nation's most violent big city for the second straight year in 2019, according to FBI statistics reviewed by The Detroit News.
Crime in the city was down over the year before, however, in line with nationwide trends.
From The News:
Last year, 13,040 violent crimes were reported to police — murder, rape, assault and robbery — in Detroit compared with 13,478 in 2018, a 3% drop, according to the FBI's Crime in the United States report released Monday morning. It occurred as violent crime nationwide dropped 0.5% last year.
But Detroit's rate of 1,965 violent crimes per 100,000 people placed it highest among cities with more than 100,000 residents, followed by St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Baltimore, Maryland.
Detroit and St. Louis have traded the dubious distinction for at least five years. When the Missouri city was first, Detroit was second, and vice versa.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig — who once famously claimed arming more good citizens would drive down crime — blames the persistent violent crime on illegal guns and trigger-happy folks who get in arguments.
