Fort Worth councilmember not pleased East Lancaster Avenue named 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the country

As the City Council Representative for District 8, I am appalled by a blog that asserts East Lancaster Avenue as the 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the country.



NeighborhoodScout® is owned and operated by Location Inc.®, a Rhode Island-based real estate location company. NeighborhoodScout®/Location, Inc.® uses data from 17,000 local law enforcement agencies and the FBI to compile a national database of neighborhood crime statistics. However, we do not know what information was used or how the information contained in the study was collected or analyzed since it is considered to be "exclusive data".



Our Fort Worth Police Department contacted NeighborhoodScout®'s Dr. Schiller who explained that their method for data collection and analysis was "proprietary" and would not disclose any other information. The company did state that the numbers they collected were from 2008. Along with saying this neighborhood is dangerous, the company also reported that the East Lancaster Avenue community was more "walkable" than 76 percent of U.S. neighborhoods and more "hip & trendy" than 67 percent. Furthermore, the 76102 zip code was included, which is our award winning downtown area. The numbers don't add up.



The Fort Worth Police Department reports crime using the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which is above and beyond the national FBI standard, the Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Our crime reporting is scientific, transparent and accurate because we focus on the number of individual victims versus the number of crime incidents. There are only about 15 cities that report crime using the NIBRS method.



The FBI recognizes NIBRS as the most accurate and credible method of reporting crime. We have no way of knowing what standard Dr. Schiller used to collect and/or analyze the crime data, and since it is considered "exclusive" and "proprietary," we are not able to verify its accuracy.



In recent years, Fort Worth has made ending homelessness a top priority. We work hand in hand with other local governmental entities, community based organizations and neighborhoods to address this important issue. Moreover, the council unanimously approved a new police station that will be located at East Lancaster and McCart.



The progress this community has made in a short period of time is to be applauded, not criticized with outdated or misleading facts. Furthermore, regurgitating old stereotypes about this area is both misleading and offensive. The residents, our Police Department and countless other stakeholders are working very hard every day to continue our progress in all areas of our great city.



I want every resident of Fort Worth to have confidence in our police officers whose mission is crime suppression and public safety. Rest assured that neither the people of Fort Worth, nor the city government of Fort Worth, will tolerate inaccurate representations of our city or communities.



For more information, contact Councilmember Kathleen Hicks' office at 817-392-8808 or District8@fortworthgov.org. To see the crime statistics for the area in question, visit the Fort Worth Police website.