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With over a hundred thousand Iraqis armed and performing security duties, the crime rate has rapidly come down. Most American troops are now concentrating on operations against terrorist and pro-Saddam Iraqis who are still fighting.
A recently installed data collection system for crimes showed that Baghdad's murder rate in October was lower than New York City's (which has the lowest rate of any major city in the United States). Baghdad had six murders per 100,000 people, while New York had seven.
However, this does not count the deaths from American military operations, or terrorist acts. That would increase the Baghdad "murder rate" by at least fifty percent.
But it would still be below many large American cities. The murder rate in Los Angeles is 17, Philadelphia is 19, Chicago is 22 and Washington, D.C. is 46
American journalists hear many Baghdad residents complain bitterly about "high crime rates." This is because many of these victims are Sunni Arabs who grew rich working for Saddam. These people still occupy nice homes in fancy neighborhoods. The criminals go where the money is, obtaining an additional satisfaction in sticking it to someone who worked for Saddam.
From Strategypage.com