Safety
- According to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Unified Crime Report, El Paso had less than one homicide per 100,000 residents last year. Laredo had 3.81, and Brownsville had four. All had homicide rates lower than Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
- “In the five Texas border counties sitting across from the Mexican cities with the worst cartel-related violence, violent crime rates fell from 2006 to 2010 in three – Cameron, Hidalgo and Webb.” Austin American Statesman (2011, Oct. 29) BorderCrimes Can’t be Categorized as One Statistic.
- “U.S border figures were statistically safer (on average) than other cities within their states. Those Border cities… have maintained lower crime rate than the national average.” USA Today (2011, July 15) On the U.S. Side, Cities Are Havens From Drug Wars
While the media has reported on Laredo as a warzone in a bid to acquire higher ratings, reputable media outlets have argued against that. Their independent findings have ranked Laredo higher in safety than most American cities with a population over 100,000.
The findings of these individual media outlets are concurrent with statistics provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Texas Department of Public Safety(TDPS). Laredo ranks higher in safety than Orlando, Seattle, San Antonio, and D.C.
If Laredo is a warzone, what does that make them?
