Detroit and Flint Top Dangerous Cities

A national study finds that Detroit and Flint are in the top five of the nation's most dangerous cities in 2009.

The study released by CQ Press found, however, that St. Louis overtook Camden, N.J., as the nation's most dangerous city in 2009.

St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. That helped St. Louis beat out Camden, which topped last year's list and was the most dangerous city for 2003 and 2004.

For the second straight year, the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie, N.Y.

The annual rankings are based on population figures and crime data compiled by the FBI. Some criminologists question the findings, saying the methodology is unfair.

(Copyright 2010 by WWJ Radio.  All Rights Reserved. AP contributed to this report)