City Crime Rankings recently published its 13th edition of the most dangerous cities in the United States. My home town of Oklahoma City stands higher than most when it comes to U.S. crime rates, but how does Oklahoma City and other U.S. metro areas compare to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil- possibly the most dangerous place on earth? And more than that, what makes a city dangerous?
Just in the past 15 years, the murder rate in Rio de Janeiro has more than tripled. In 1994, over 8,000 murders were recorded and that’s not the mention the rising non-violent crimes throughout the city and much of Brazil. Much of the violence seen in the favelas or shanty towns in Rio de Janeiro where much of the populace suffers from severe poverty problems. Because wealthy towns are located in close proximity to the favelas, kidnappings, rape, robbery and murder are common place. And when you span 8,000 murders out over 365 days, you get somewhere around 21 murders a day- making Rio de Janeiro one of the most dangerous places on earth to call home.
CityRating.com shows Oklahoma City as having 49 murders in 2003, a rate much lower than Rio De Janeiro but still much higher than the national average. In fact, Oklahoma ranks slightly higher than the national average when it comes to all types of crime. Many of these crimes are concentrated in the down-town area where buildings begin melting together in a close knit grid of shoddy homes, abandoned businesses and old factories. Just like Rio de Janeiro, poverty and crime seem to go hand and hand with Oklahoma City’s less flattering locales.
On the national level, Tulsa ranks 57 in murder rates in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City ranked at 114 and Lawton is close behind at 123. When it comes to violent crimes not involving murder, Oklahoma City ranks up at number 98 on the national metropolitan list with some 532 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
Oklahoma City is no stranger to violent crime, even if the Murrah Bombing is excluded from the equation. But over the years law enforcement has expanded in Oklahoma City and surrounding suburbs. In my home town of Edmond, for instance, crime is almost non-existent. Edmond is a quickly growing suburb just north of OKC that has put enormous funding and effort into law enforcement. Nearly every time I drive there is someone getting pulled over, making criminal activity in the city virtually impossible. Oklahoma City has not expanded it’s police force as drastically as Edmond, but much of that has to do with Edmond’s predominantly wealthy residents that is home to a number of celebrities including biking professional Matt Hoffman and Olympic gold winner Shannon Miller.
Rio de Janeiro, however, does not get the same opportunities. Crime continues to grow in the city despite continual work to prevent it and some of the problem lies in the police themselves who’ve exhibited less than admirable ethics in the field of duty. Because the United States has a higher standard of living in which case many middle class people would be considered ‘rich’ in other countries, crime is much lower than other places across the world. Residents are able to better protect themselves with comfortable police forces, dependable home security systems or even simple watch dogs when those amenities wouldn’t be available elsewhere. Still, Oklahoma City has a lot of growing to do in order to defeat crime on a state-wide level and compete with the nation’s crime trends.
Crimes can always be prevented by a dedicated community coupled with a strong police force, but sometimes it takes a little more. When I get pulled over and receive a ticket, I pay the ticket and accept my punishment- but for some people who can’t afford a home, let alone a ticket- deterring crime becomes mostly ineffective. And if a man is caught stealing food or a television to pay for rent, he may not mind spending time in jail with three meals a day and hundreds of comrades who think like he does. In my state, overcrowded prisons and poverty are connected in a dependent way. Instead of sending criminals to jail, maybe they could work their jail-time off in community service contracts or work programs. In this way it may be possible to assimilate criminals and the homeless into a more productive lifestyle.
Monetary allowance, health insurance and social traditions all play a part in why crime happens in the first place. If a person can afford to buy lunch- he or she would never consider stealing it. If a community intends to defeat crime, the root of the problem must be addressed- and often times that means helping the homeless, providing good jobs and giving compassion when it’s needed the most instead of throwing the problem’s result in jail, hoping the problem itself disappears.
