There’s new research showing Missouri has some of the most dangerous cities and is one of the worst states to work as a police officer.
Two of the top 25 most dangerous cities with more than 100,000 residents are St. Louis which ranks 4th and Kansas City at number 19 on the list.
The rankings were compiled by the National Council for Home Safety and Security, which contends that those cities are feeling the effects of deindustrialization and the shift in the U.S. economy from manufacturing to service.
Springfield also holds a place in the study as the fifth worst city of at least 100,000 for crime trending with an annual upward swing of 10%.
The Council bases its research on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting database and crime reports from the most recent years available for multiple jurisdictions. St. Louis experiences 1,698 violent crimes per 100,000 people while Kansas City deals with 1,194 and Springfield has 929.
According to personal finance website Wallethub, Missouri is the 9th worst state to be a police officer. It ranks 43rd in the category of Opportunity and Competition, which is based on criteria such as average starting salary, salary growth potential and law enforcement officers per capita.
Missouri also ranks 33rd for Job Hazards and Protections and 38 for Quality of Life for law enforcement.
The Job Hazards and Protections category tracks data such as police deaths per 1,000 officers, persons killed by police per capita and pursuit-related fatalities per 100,000 residents.
It also figures in whether states have laws dealing with police concerns in place such as “Blue Alerts” and Misconduct Confidentiality Laws.
Blue Alerts offer means to speed the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers. Misconduct Confidentiality Laws determine whether officer disciplinary records and confidential or public.
Quality of Life tracks criteria such public sentiment toward law-enforcement personnel and housing affordability.
According to WalletHub’s findings of the best and worst states to be a police officer, Missouri has the lowest ranking of any of its neighboring states outside of Arkansas which ranks dead last and Kentucky which is fifth worst.
The personal finance website’s data shows the top 5 states to be a police officer are, in order, North Dakota, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, and California.
Wallethub’s research shows that officers, like people in most professions, are drawn to financial perks, but are also more likely to be attracted to police departments that steer clear of scandal and corruption and that are transparent with their communities.
The study shows public opinion on police remains divided, with younger people and minorities rating them much less positively than older Caucasians.
According to the National Council for Home Safety and Security rankings, the top 5 most dangerous cities with more than 100,000 are Flint, Michigan, Detroit, Oakland, St. Louis and Memphis.
