Hammond, Bastrop lead one survey's state's dangerous cities list

The Crescent City doesn’t make one security company’s Top 10 list of Louisiana’s most dangerous cities.
In pure numbers, the Big Easy surely wins. However, when comparing the crime rate -- the likelihood of a person in the municipality being a crime victim during the year -- New Orleans doesn’t make the top 10.
Home Security Shield, a nationwide company specializing in home security systems, examined crime data for Louisiana cities and recently released the “Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities” for the state. Hammond ranked No. 1 with a 1 in 9 chance of a resident being a crime victim and a 136/1000 rate.
Bastrop was second, also with a 1 in 9 chance of being a victim and a 113/1000 rate. Denham Springs had a 95/1000 rate compared to Marksville’s 94, Alexandria’s 92 and Opelousas’ 90.
In comparison, New Orleans’ crime rate in this study is 45/1000.
Tom Pelt, communications officer for Home Security Shield, said the report was done “to inform the public about public security issues. The fact of the matter is that a security-conscious community is a more secure community.”
Recent national news sources have cited Louisiana as one of the top 10 most dangerous states in the nation. Home Security Shield’s study found that while the state overall is more dangerous than many others, there are many areas of the state that have very low crime rates while others “are indeed more dangerous.”
To determine the “most dangerous” cities, Home Security Shield examined the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2012.
“Our rankings are based solely on the data released by the FBI,” the company stated in its report on the study. “Both violent and property crimes were considered in the ranking of our list of Louisiana’s most dangerous cities.”
Alexandria has the highest violent crime rate (16.82/1000) and Opelousas was second (16.7/1000)
Pelt said Home Security Shield makes, sells and installs home security systems, but the report isn’t designed to scare the public and sell more security systems.
“The reality of the situation in this country today is that police departments have become complacent,” Pelt said. “Unfortunately, the public is unaware of that and really does not know what they deserve in terms of police protection.
“We want a security-conscious public who demands security from their police,” he said. “People need to talk to their city council and be more involved in the community and the issues in the community. That type of community involvement goes a long way in improving the overall security of a community.
“Bottom line,” Pelt concluded, “the more involved the public is in demanding public security, the safer they will be.