CQ Press, Metropolitan Crime Rate Rankings

According to CQ Press the Pine Bluff Metropolitan area ranks number 1 in its Metro Crime Rate Rankings. The Pine Bluff Metro area includes Cleveland, Jefferson and Lincoln counties. CQ Press says it's using an index that was once used by the FBI but has discontinued it because there were flaws in the data collection.

It was concerned that the Crime Index was inflated by a high number of larceny-thefts, which account for nearly 60 percent of reported crime, thereby diminishing the focus on more serious but less frequently reported offenses, such as murder and rape.

CQ Press also indicates other limitations in the data.

Although law enforcement agencies collect common information on crimes reported to and discovered by them, each state has slightly different criminal laws, and each law enforcement agency has its own policies and procedures for recording activity. This makes it very difficult to compare statistics across agencies, and to classify criminal activity consistently

I find it hard to believe that Pine Bluff has more crime that New Orleans, unless Hurricane Katrina forced the criminals to relocate to Arkansas. Of course, my experience is limited in that I've never visited South Arkansas. CQ Press's rankings would make one reconsider a visit to Pine Bluff. Can you imagine trying to get businesses or companies to relocate there?
Other Arkansas notables. QC Press has the Little Rock Metro at 10th , Texarkana Metro at 24th, Hot Springs Metro at 35th, and Jonesboro Metro at 113th.