DETROIT -- Detroit Police Chief Ella M. Bully-Cumming released the following statement after learning about Detroit's ranking as the most dangerous city by a private organization:

A soon to be released report ranking the city of Detroit as the nation's most dangerous city is being met with criticism from national criminologists, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), as well as city residents regarding the methods used to compare statistics. "These rankings represent an irresponsible misuse of the data and do groundless harm to many communities," said American Society of Criminology President Michael Tonry, professor of law and public policy at the University of Minnesota. "They also work against a key goal of our society, which is a better understanding of crime-related issues by both scientists and the public."

The report also fails to place the data in its proper context. For example, a snapshot of crime statistics complied by the Detroit Police Department from January 1 - August 31, 2007 reveals that over 76 percent of homicide victims in the city had prior contact with law enforcement. Department investigations also indicate that at least 60 percent of shootings occurring in the city have had a narcotic nexus. Analysis such as this refutes the notion that overall crime in the city is random and provides residents and visitors with an opportunity to truly understand crime data.

"Every year this organization sends out a press release with big bold lettering that labels a certain city as 'Most Dangerous, USA'," said Detroit Police Chief Ella M. Bully-Cummings. "Attached to the organization's press release are instructions on how to purchase the complete report. It really makes you wonder if the organization is truly concerned with evaluating crime or increasing their profit. With crime experts across the country routinely denouncing the findings, I believe the answer is clear."

Another questionable aspect of the organization's report is the comparison of cities with vastly disproportionate population totals. Several of the country's major cities were also excluded from the comparison for various reasons. These factors alone present enough obscurity in data collection to challenge integrity of the group's findings.

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