The Congressional Quarterly Press lists Richmond as the ninth most dangerous city. But that Richmond is in California. Richmond, Va., now ranks 49th among the country’s most dangerous cities, down from its number 29 spot in 2006 and its number 15 spot in 2005. The city previously was among the top 10 in 2003 and 2004, with ninth- and fifth-place rankings, respectively.

“It’s a credit to the men and women of the Richmond Police Department and the citizens of this community,” said Chief Bryan T. Norwood. “Working together in crime prevention and reduction, through a strong community policing base, made this ranking possible.”

The city’s current ranking is based on 2007 data. That data includes 385 cities with populations of 75,000 or more and is based on reported crime rates per 100,000 in six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.

For 2008, Richmond continues to record a decline in each of these crime categories:

Murder down 33 percent
Rape down 11 percent
Commercial robbery down 48 percent
Individual robbery down 16 percent
Aggravated assault down 8 percent
Burglary down 3 percent, and
Motor vehicle theft down 23 percent

Chief Norwood attributes the decline in ranking to the community and professional partnerships established by the Department and its officers. Close work with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office – with community prosecutors assigned to each sector – and the Cooperative Violence Reduction Partnership, which includes local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, all lead toward the goal of crime reduction.

The Department’s own Fugitive and Firearms Initiative, Gang Reduction and Intervention Program, and truancy reduction efforts also greatly contribute to addressing the underlying factors that lead to persons committing criminal acts.

“I’m proud to say it looks like we’re on track to continue to drop in the Congressional Quarterly ranking and no longer have the dubious distinction of one of the “most dangerous” cities,” said Chief Norwood. “We hope it soon becomes a misnomer.”