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Magazine ranks Tallahassee as dangerous place to live; TPD Chief unhappy

Chief Michael Jones
Chief Michael Jones

By Sascha Cordner

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-989008.mp3

Tallahassee, FL – Forbes Magazine has ranked Tallahassee among the top ten as one of America's most dangerous cities to live in. But, as Sascha Cordner reports, Tallahassee's Police Chief rebukes the distinction.

According to a Forbes Magazine article published earlier this week, Florida's Capitol city is ranked number eight as one of the most dangerous cities to live in the United States. Tallahassee Police Chief Michael Jones sharply criticized the article, calling it "a slap in the face to the city's residents."

"The Forbes article has created a misleading perception of Tallahassee. The article paints an erroneous picture in our community. There is significant concern among our community leaders as well our businesses that real damage has been done by misusing the Uniform Crime Report that was quoted in the Forbes article."

The rankings were based on a FBI Uniform crime report that compared the amount of violent crimes in metropolitan areas around the country. Those crimes include murder, forcible rape, and aggravated assault. Chief Jones says though Tallahassee does have crime, he does not believe the city should have been ranked in the top ten. The top three areas listed in the magazine include Detroit, Michigan, Memphis, Tennessee, and Springfield, Illinois.