I recently wrote about the fact that Baltimore is the fourth most dangerous city to live in within the United States. The danger was based on FBI crime statistics, and Baltimore has always been considered one of the most dangerous cities in the US.
The most concerning statistic is the number of violent crimes in Baltimore. The number of violent crimes per 1000 people is 18.76. Compare this to the Maryland average of 4.84 and the average across the United States of 4 violent crimes per 1000 people. This means you have a 1 in 53 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Baltimore.
"I have grown accustomed to scanning the briefs column in The Baltimore Sun in the morning for news of the latest homicides; to taking note of the location of the latest killings as I drive around town for my baseball coaching and volunteering obligations." Baltimore resident and New York Times reporter, Alec McGillis
Many readers wanted to delve deeper into Baltimore's crime and look at which areas within Baltimore had the higher crime rates.
Below are the three most dangerous neighborhoods in Baltimore based on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 people for each district, compared to the Baltimore violent crime average. All stats are based on data from the local law enforcement agency.
1. Hopkins-Middle East
Hopkins-Middle East crime rates are 77% higher than the Baltimore average. The crime rates here are 340% higher than the United States average. Of even more concern is that the violent crime rate here is 858% greater than the national average.
2. West Baltimore
Coming in second is West Baltimore which has its crime rates 327% higher than the national average. Statistics also show that violent crimes in West Baltimore are 743% higher than the national average.
3. Cherry Hill
In the third position of the most dangerous Baltimore neighborhoods is the area of Cherry Hill, which has a crime rate 216% higher than the United States average. In addition, violent crimes in Cherry Hill are 729% higher than the national average.
What makes a neighborhood dangerous?
An Arizona State University criminology and a criminal-justice professor, Scott Decker, said a wide range of factors determined crime in a neighborhood. This includes poverty, single-family homes, graduation rates, and lack of economic mobility. He said an area that has significant socio-economic disadvantages is more likely to have a higher violent crime rate than an area with more opportunities for its residents.
"It's not just the single variable; it's the combination of them that make things worse," Scott Decker
The rest of the top 10
Below are the Baltimore neighborhoods that round out the top 10 in terms of crime:
4. Berea Area
5. Highlandtown
6. Fairfield Area
7. Greenmount East
8. Brooklyn-Curtis Bay
9. Morrell Park
10. Pulaski
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison has been in the role for just over two years, and already some people are calling for him to be replaced. It certainly seems to be a revolving door within the Baltimore Police Department as they have had five commissioners in the last six years. This has culminated in rising crime and an increase in murders.
"You keep making changes to the command staff, you keep switching lanes, you keep switching, then there's no consistency. So, there's no stability. I simply don't think that Commissioner Harrison has control of the police department, period. And if you don't have control of the troops, then you're not going to get the job done." Former Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm.
Governor Hogan has held meetings with Harrison and recently vented his frustration at the growing crime rates.
“When crime’s being committed right in front of police officers, when the state’s attorney refuses to prosecute half the crimes, we’re not going to fix the problem, regardless of how many meetings we’re going to have.” Governor Hogan
Readers- what do you think? Are there any Baltimore neighborhoods that you consider too dangerous and won't visit? Or are there ones on this list that surprise you? And does Baltimore need yet another new police commissioner?
Let us know in the comments below!
This is original content from NewsBreak’s Creator Program. Join today to publish and share your own content.