<P> Camden has a national reputation for its violent crime rates, which consistently rank among the highest in the country, and in the developed world . Real estate analytics company NeighborhoodScout has named it within the top 5 "most dangerous" cities in the United States every year since it has compiled the list . Several times it has been ranked 1st on the list, most recently in 2015 . In 2012, Camden set a new record by tallying 69 homicides, making for one of the highest murder rates ever recorded in an American city . In addition, since the FBI began uniformly reporting crime data in the mid 1980s, Camden has never seen its yearly violent crime rate drop below 2 per 100 residents . In comparison, the national rate is about 0.37 per 100 residents . So, the lowest violent crime rate that Camden has ever had was still nearly six times the national average . </P> <P> Morgan Quitno has ranked Camden as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in the United States since 1998, when they first included cities with populations less than 100,000 . Camden was ranked as the third-most dangerous city in 2002 . Camden was ranked as the most dangerous city overall in 2004 and 2005 . It improved to the fifth spot for the 2006 and 2007 rankings but rose to number two in 2008 and to the most dangerous spot in 2009 . Morgan Quitno based its rankings on crime statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft . In The Nation, journalist Chris Hedges describes Camden as "the physical refuse of postindustrial America", plagued with homelessness, drug trafficking, prostitution, robbery, looting, constant violence, and an overwhelmed police force (which in 2011 lost nearly half of its officers to budget - related layoffs). </P> <P> In 2005, reported homicides in Camden dropped to 34, 15 fewer murders than in 2004 . Though Camden's murder rate was still much higher than the national average, the reduction in 2005 was a drop of over 30% . In 2006, the number of murders climbed to 40 . While murders fell by 10% across New Jersey in 2009, Camden's murder rate declined from 55 in 2008 down to 33, a drop of 40% that was credited to anti-gang efforts and more firearms seizures . Despite significant cuts in the police department due to the city's fiscal difficulties, murders in 2009 and 2010 were both under 40, staying below the peak that had occurred in 2008, and continued to decline into early 2011 . However, in 2012, the city's murder rate spiked and reached 62 . </P> <P> On October 29, 2012, the FBI announced Camden was ranked first in violent crime per capita of cities with over 50,000 residents . In December 2012, Camden residents surrendered approximately 1,137 firearms to two local churches over a two - day period . </P>

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