Oh Oakland. Even when you win, you lose. In true Oakland fashion, the East Bay city has been bestowed a dubious honor.
A new survey says the home of the Oakland Raiders is also home to the third highest crime rate in the country. Oakland's 2008 statistics moved them up two spots from last year's CQ Press report.
Oakland was given the unwanted title despite experiencing two consecutive years of decreasing crime rates and welcoming a new police chief whose "passion is trying to stop the level of murders, homicides and deaths" in the city, according to the Oakland Tribune.
And in true Oakland fashion, the report does not come without its own drama.
CQ Press' rankings rely heavily on data the FBI keeps on murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and car theft. But even the FBI has attacked the group's annual studies. Mayor Ron Dellums dismissed the study while acknowledging Oakland has a long way to go.
CQ, of course, dismisses the criticism as little more than politics.
