FBI crime data indicate a ruthless nature lurking in Saginaw, Mi., a city that once boomed with industrial prowess and attracted workers from across the nation but now watches as its population ebbs while the violence stays, reports the Saginaw News. Even as Saginaw lost more than 10 percent of it citizens – more than 7,000 moved away since 2000 – violent crime was up more than 50 percent in 2008 compared with 2000. Saginaw has ranked as the violent city in U.S. since 2003, based on violent crimes per person in the nearly 850 cities with populations greater than 40,000.
In Michigan, Flint ranked sixth, Detroit 10th and Pontiac 11th based on 2008 statistics. “Our 30-year crime history is appalling,” said Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael Thomas. “You can't do more with less.” Thomas cites reductions in police, more lenient state sentencing guidelines and a disproportionately low number of prosecutors in Saginaw County versus similar cities as key factors in Saginaw's crime rate.