On Monday, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed boasted on the social media platform X about rankings given by the U.S. News & World Report real estate section. However, he deleted his post after erroneously claiming the city was listed on the report as one of the top 10 places to live in America.
In his post, Reed said that the city broke into the top 10 “best places to live” section of the publication’s ranking, a claim echoed on the city’s Facebook page. However, the actual ranking given to the city was 54th. Reed also stated that U.S. News rated Montgomery the second safest city in the United States. Reed did manage to accurately cite that ranking. However, Montgomery’s crime reporting has been a matter of contention among residents.
The rankings are based on an “analysis of public data and user opinions.” To top the list, a place must earn high scores in criteria such as desirability and quality of life.
1819 News contacted the mayor’s office to clarify the apparent contradiction. The city responded that it had erred by claiming it was ranked in the top 10 best places to live. Instead, U.S. News ranked the city in the top 10 most affordable places to live.
Reed has since deleted his tweet, and the city’s Facebook page amended its initial claim. However, that did not stop commentors from shredding the safety claims made by the city. As of the publishing of this article, the post has over 800 comments, mostly deriding and mocking the idea that the city is the second safest in the nation.
Reed has faced mounting criticism from residents, lawmakers, and the judicial branch regarding the mounting crime issue in Montgomery. For months, residents have approached the city council and Reed at city council meetings – when the mayor is actually in town and able to attend meetings – to slam the city’s leadership on crime issues.
Crime has been a concern even before Reed won his reelection bid in August 2023. However, things intensified last April after an innocent Montgomery woman, Amy Dicks, was left paralyzed from the chest down after getting caught in a highway shootout between two parties.
Reed and his chief of staff, Chip Hill, have often used social media to try to exculpate his administration’s handlining of crime, often using the same FBI statistics as the U.S. News. U.S. News stated it determines its rankings “Based on the city's murder and property crime rates per 100,000 people, determined by FBI crime reports.”
This, however, ignores the fact acknowledged by Montgomery law enforcement, lawmakers and analysts across the nation, who point to the flawed nature of FBI crime reporting.
FBI statistics are supplied by local law enforcement through voluntary participation in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The accuracy of the program is dependent on law enforcement’s adherence to the standards and actual reporting of certain crimes.
This was acknowledged by Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff and State Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road), who have both questioned the apparent contradiction between the national number and the growing concerns of Montgomery residents.
“I don't think all of it's being reported right in all of these municipalities as far as classifying if somebody was shot or killed,” Ingram said in June. “If it picked up on the news, they may do it right or report it to the FBI, but I think there's a lot more going on."
Recent polling also shows an apparent contradiction between the FBI numbers and residents' perceptions nationwide.
A December 2023 Gallup poll said 63% of respondents described crime as an extreme problem, up from 54% two years prior. Also, 77% of Americans said there was more crime in the U.S. in 2023 compared to the previous year, and 55% said there was more crime in their area than the year prior.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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