- All ranked crime lists are based on 2012 statistics submitted to the FBI. Cities that do not submit statistics to the FBI (Columbia, SC for instance) would not be counted in any rankings. Additionally, the FBI website includes this information about Uniform Crime Reports:
ROCK HILL, S.C. — "Since crime is a sociological phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, the FBI discourages ranking the agencies and using the data as a measurement of law enforcement effectiveness." http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cji/ucr/word
The City of Rock Hill publishes an annual crime report and crime map on our website at http://cityofrockhill.com/departments/police/more/police-department/crime-map. We invite the media and public review the information, including comparative data, and provide comments if interested.
- Adjusting for crimes per 100,000 people misrepresents the numbers of actual crimes. For instance in 2012, the City of Rock Hill had 8 homicides—not 12. However, since our population is less than 100,000 people, the number was adjusted up to meet the statistic per 100,000. It is not accurate to assume that a population of 100,000 people would increase those numbers proportionally. For instance, in 2011 Rock Hill had 4 homicides, half as many as 2012, with about the same population number.
- The same logic is used regarding violent crimes. In 2012, Rock Hill had 447 violent crimes, but the number adjusted to 100,000 people is 657, as shown in the study.
- The study also doesn't take into account businesses as victims of crime, or locations with a significant tourist population, which could increase crime, but not be reflected in the census.
- Implying people have an equal "chance" of becoming a victim of a crime is not accurate. Those involved in high risk behavior, such as drugs or gang activity, are more likely to become a victim than the average Rock Hill citizen or someone visiting our community.
- The study counted four groups of crimes: murders (weighted 30%, violent crimes (which also includes murders; weighted 30%), property crimes (weighted 30%) and total crimes (which also includes murders; weighted 10%). In essence, homicides were counted in three of the four categories.
TRENDING ON WSOCTV.COM:
[ Mother speaks out after 3-year-old dies after trapped in car ]
[ Police: Couple too drunk to care for children ]
[ 4-year-old dies after being pulled from lake Friday ]
[ ABC News doctor: ‘NC really needs to pay attention to chikungunya’ ]
[ Investigators follow up on leads in slain counselor case ]