Is your business in one of the most dangerous cities in America? Is it possible to protect the business and its assets in a city with high crime? What are the types of crimes occurring in these cities? What about businesses located in places that aren’t on the list of cities with the highest crime rate? Read on for the answer to these questions and to get top strategies for deterring crime.
Data on the Most Dangerous Cities
The U.S. News and World Report provides a list of the most dangerous cities. Before diving in, it’s important to understand the definitions of violent and property crimes. Violent crimes include murder, rape, and aggravated assault. They’re crimes involving force or a threat of force. These are some of the most troubling crimes because they cause harm to individuals.
Property crimes don’t tend to harm individuals. Rather, they’re the theft or destruction of someone else’s property. Examples of these include car theft, burglary, larceny, and arson.
Here is a list of the most dangerous cities.
Memphis, Tennessee
The most dangerous city in America is Memphis, TN. Its violent crime and property crime rates were higher than the national average in 2022. That year, Memphis had 2,409 incidents of violent crime and 7,191 incidents of property crime per 100,000 people.
Memphis has a population of 633,000 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The total number of crimes committed is around 60,500, which means close to 10% of the population has been affected by a crime. Be aware the total crime rate only reflects two types of crimes. Not all crimes fall into either category.
How bad is it in Memphis? Austin has a metro area similar to Memphis and its violent crime rate for the same period was 541 and property crime rate was 3,601 per 100,000 people. Indianapolis had 1,027 violent crimes and 3,376 property crimes per 100,000 people.
St. Louis, Missouri
Right behind Memphis is St. Louis, Missouri. The city doesn’t fare much better than Memphis. U.S. News and World Report scored Memphis as a 4 on the crime index, which is the worst of all. St. Louis’s score is 4.4. The number of crimes per 100,000 people for violent crimes is 1,484 and for property crimes is 7,280.
By comparison, Raleigh’s metro area is about the same size as St. Louis. The North Carolina city has a 506 violent crime rate and a 2,362-property crime rate per 100,000 people. Miami, Florida, and Virginia Beach, VA are also similar and both have a lower-than-average crime rate.
The population of St. Louis is approximately 301,600 based on the 2020 U.S. Census. The total crime rate for these two types of crimes is 26,292. This adds up to around 9% of the population.
Detroit, Michigan
How does Detroit compare to Memphis and St. Louis? It received a score of 5.2, which is one of the worst but not as bad as the other two. Per 100,000 people, Detroit had 2,027 violent crimes and 4,487 property crimes. The Detroit metroplex is comparable to those of Memphis, Austin, and Indianapolis.
The U.S. Census shows a population of almost 640,000 for Detroit in 2020. Thus, the total number of crimes for these two types in Motor City is almost 42,000. These two crimes have affected nearly 7% of the population.
Other Cities
Here are the other cities with the highest property and violent crime rates.
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Denver, Colorado
This is just for the top 10. The top 20 include cities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, and Washington. What does all this mean? It means that no business in any state is “safe” from crimes.
To find out where your city ranks, search for your city and ” crime rate.” The data doesn’t exaggerate as it reports facts. In other words, every business must prioritize security.
Industries Affected by Dangerous Crimes
You might be thinking crimes only affect businesses in specific industries. The opposite is true. Every industry is affected by crime. Review these crime statistics for different industries.
Retail
The retail industry’s security report from National Retail Federation (NRF) indicates the industry is dealing with unprecedented levels of crime. The average shrink rate is up and resulted in $112 billion in losses. Respondents in the survey say they’re experiencing more violence and aggression from organized retail crime than in the previous year.
The side effect of violence and crime is that almost half of the retail businesses have reduced their store operating hours and don’t work to curb crime. One-third have changed their in-store product selection, and almost one-third have closed a specific store location.
The NRF advocates for consumer protection measures like the INFORM Consumers Act. The measure aims to increase the transparency of online marketplaces. However, the NRF asserts that this alone cannot stop organized retail crime to create a safer shopping experience. That’s why the organization is pushing for legislation like the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act.
Construction, Recycling, and Scrap Metal
The construction, scrap metal, and recycling industries are affected due to the mounting cost of lumber, precious metals, tools, and equipment. Thieves find it easy to resell these items using online marketplaces.
Recycling Today quotes Rick Arrington, a retired police officer, saying that security must remain a top priority for recycling and scrap metal businesses. Arrington says criminals target these businesses because of the product availability and the chances of being caught are lower. This is especially true in poorly designed and lit environments. That’s why organizing a construction site or recycling facility makes a difference in reducing the risk of being targeted.
What are the best ways to help protect a construction site and scrap metal facility? Arrington affirms that having multiple layers of security plays a role in protecting valuable material. The first layer should be perimeter security and storing assets away from the perimeter.
Besides fencing and lighting, Arrington recommends monitored cameras and posting big signs indicating the area is under surveillance. “Cameras are investigative tools unless they’re actively monitored; then they become preventative tools,” Arrington says. “With alarms, I prefer a dual-audible and dialed–down alarm system—silent and audible. Audible will stop (thieves) dead in their tracks. … An audible alarm is more preventative.”
Dealerships, Multifamily Residential, and Businesses with Parking Lots
One property crime that’s climbing is car theft as it’s gone up significantly in 2022 according to Car and Driver. In 2022, there were 12,569 reported incidents of auto theft. The year before only had 6,692 incidents.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau also verifies car theft is climbing. “Last year, more than one million vehicles were reported stolen, and overall vehicle thefts increased about one percent nationwide from 1,008,756 in 2022 to 1,020,729 in 2023. Vehicle theft rates have risen steadily since 2019,” says the NICB report. Dealerships, multifamily residential, and any business with parking garages need to be concerned.
If your industry isn’t listed here, it doesn’t mean that it’s safe. This article couldn’t begin to cover all the possibilities. To get data on your industry, search for your industry and ” crime rate.”
Top Ways to Deter Crimes in Dangerous Cities and Beyond
Data speaks volumes. Crime happens in many American cities and affects businesses in all industries. Businesses cannot expect the law or law enforcement to keep up with criminals. They must take steps to fortify security. Here are four ways to avert crime and minimize damage.
1. Partner with your community and police
NICB President and CEO David Glawe encourages a partnership that consists of law enforcement agencies, government organizations, and the community. Connect with other businesses. Work with the police and these businesses to host an annual meeting to talk about the status of crimes.
It’s also a good time to remind businesses to look out for each other and report suspicious activities. It may be worth creating a private group page to report problems and anything happening in the neighborhood.
Police officers often conduct business inside their vehicles. Invite them to park on your property. Offer them drinks and snacks. Consider asking the police officers if they do security reviews. This is where they walk around the business and make recommendations on how to improve security.
2. Create and enforce policies and procedures
Create policies related to security and business processes. For example, conducting background checks on new employees should be a standard operating procedure. During the onboarding process, new employees must be trained on security processes and procedures. All employees need to receive a refresher on security at least once a year. Employees must sign off on every security-related training.
Train employees on how to handle different situations, everything from robbery and active shooting to reporting suspicious people and activities. The training will walk through the security of the business. The more they know, the less likely they will attempt internal theft.
3. Protect the perimeter
Perimeter security protects the boundaries, everything around the building, and the parking areas. As mentioned before, lighting, area under surveillance signage, and fencing are strong deterrents. They add inexpensive, effective, and affordable layers of security.
Another factor is landscaping. When the landscaping is not carefully designed, it can give thieves the upper hand. Work with a security specialist who can do a review of the landscape design to determine its impact on security. It’s also just as important to maintain the landscaping otherwise overgrown plants will help trespassers.
4. Implement Video Surveillance and Monitoring
Recall earlier that Rick Arrington recommends video cameras that are actively monitored. They switch security from a reactive approach to a proactive one. This allows the security team to respond to a potential problem early.
This system consists of strategically placing cameras around the property. As part of a video surveillance package, a trained monitoring operator works with artificial intelligence to watch the entire business in real time. Anytime something comes up, the trained monitoring operator can issue verbal warnings on a speaker without being on the property. They can also call the police.
When you apply these top four ways, you can create a safer and more secure environment for everyone. For more information about video surveillance and other crime prevention solutions, please contact us.
