Once again, Nevada has a ranking and reputation Metro isn't too proud of: The most dangerous state in the country. That's according to a new survey. It's the fourth year in a row we've come out on top but officers aren't willing to accept the bad rap so quickly.
Type your address into Metro's crime mapping website and what you may find could surprise you. Neighborhoods riddled with reports of burglaries, robberies, assaults within the past two months.
But according to a new report from the research company, Morgan Quinto Press, it's the same old story in Nevada. For the fourth year in a row, we've ranked as the most dangerous state in the country.
Metro's Sergeant John Loretto says the survey is misleading. "Not all incidents come from the Las Vegas Valley."
The report's publisher admits these rankings are controversial, but argues rates are what they are. For example, the survey pits Nevada's 8.56 murders for every 100,000 people against the national average which 5.6.
Add the statistics for rape, robberies, assault, burglaries and auto theft, which are all far above the national average, and that's how we got to where we are. Still, some argue the report is incomplete without factoring the reasons behind them.
We've got rapid growth. And with that growth comes growing pains. Other southwest states also came near the top; New Mexico ranks second and Arizona follows behind in third place.
The safest state, according to the report, is North Dakota.
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6266906
