The St. Louis, MO/IL metropolitan area hasn't made the CQ Press "most dangerous" list since 2010. Why? It's unclear, but likely a result of the region not producing uniform crime reporting statistics. But the City of St. Louis continues to get ink as the second most dangerous city in the nation (after Detroit). This ranking applies to a geographic area that is home to 11.3% of the metro population. 

Pointing out that a significant majority of crime in the city occurs in just a handful of neighborhoods has proved to be something of a political liability, but it remains true that many city neighborhoods have less crime than some inner ring suburbs. At nextSTL we have covered the issue of crime statistics extensively, the latest being Understanding St. Louis: Total Crime Index and Crime-Ridden Neighborhoods and Total Crime Index, Violent Crimes and Property Crimes in City Neighborhoods. The point isn't to validate or invalidate any particular report, but to gain context and a better understanding of what crime statistics tell us and what they don't tell us.

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Yesterday, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) announced he will continue his bid for the senate seat currently held by democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill. Mr. Akin is doing the right thing. He was legitimately elected over his republican opponents in the Missouri state primary, held on August 7th.

GOP leaders - Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and former Senators Ashcroft, Talent, Danforth and Bond among them - have urged Mr. Akin to step down after his "legitimate rape” faux pas.

This is somewhat ironic and at the same time puzzling. Consider the following:

• The GOP is rife with people that hold similar beliefs to those displayed by Mr. Akin.  Just yesterday, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told a reporter: "I have never heard of a girl getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest."  He later stated his comments were taken out of context but maintained his defense of Akin. Why not ask for his resignation?
  
  

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It’s an unfortunate fact, especially in recent days, that one of the most rightfully-maligned members of congress, Todd Akin, lives little more than a half hour drivefrom downtown St. Louis City. We are a metropolis with problems, of course, but one who can be more often be criticized for failing to craft a workable solution to economic disparity, crime, and equal rights — not ignoring these issues entirely, or arguing that we shouldn’t coddle hungry schoolchildren.

Akin doesn’t just represent the outer-outer belt either: his soon-to-be former 2nd District edges eastward to Kirkwood and Ladue — perhaps not the most City-friendly municipalities, but not too far removed. In 2010, he swept to victory with 68% of the vote; hardly a slim success. And even though, for years, his “at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God” sentiments have garnered him a fair amount of national pushback, his recent, abhorrent “legitimate rape” comments haven’t sunk his lead on his U.S. Senate competition, incumbent Claire McCaskill.

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There's a lot of money to be made with crime. Not in crime, but selling crime. Specifically, in this case, selling home security systems, ostensibly to prevent crime. Anyway, some company named Home Security has posted an infographic titled "Worse than Detroit" on their website, stating "Detroit gets a bad rap! The following cities are actually worse in terms of crime." Is this vital information for someone considering a home security system? Is it fair, useful, or actionable? Harmful, misleading, dishonest?