Usually one hopes to snag a high spot in a league table, but it’s a case of lower is better in the recently released 2008 City Crime Rankings.
Unfortunately Oakland falls at the first barrier by making it into the Top 5 — the city ranks at number five with a score of 328.82. Its neighbor Berkeley comes in at number 132 (making yours truly breathe a little easier).
Bay Area cities, all of whose scores put them above the national crime rate, include Richmond ranked at 9, Vallejo at 67, San Francisco at 101, San Leandro at 117 and Hayward at 125. I counted 99 Californian cities in a list of 385 (one quarter, in other words). The unwelcome number one spot is held by New Orleans with a 441.40 score.
The rankings are based on crime statistics compiled by the FBI for 2007 and are viewed by some to be misleading.
There’s a glimmer of hope for Oakland in that last year it was listed in fourth place. Reacting to the news, the city’s mayor, Ron Dellums, said: “Oakland is moving in the right direction when it comes to bringing peace to our streets.” Which is, I guess, about all he can say.
[Photo credit: www.marydresser.com]