How dangerous is Arizona, really?

[La Huerita]

There's an interesting opinion piece in "The Hill" concerning the reported increase in crime in Arizona due to illegal aliens. Here are a couple of excerpts (you can research the accuracy of the data yourself).

FBI figures show that the total number of violent crimes in Phoenix has fallen every year since 2006 — from a high of 11,195 in 2006, to 8,730 in 2009. The numbers are similar in Tucson and Mesa. [...]

“In 2000, there were 23 rapes, robberies and murders in Nogales, Ariz. Last year, despite nearly a decade of population growth, there were 19 such crimes. Aggravated assaults dropped by one-third. No one has been murdered in two years.”

And that canard about Phoenix having the highest kidnapping rate in the world? Maybe not:

...Scott Stewart, the vice president of tactical intelligence for Stratfor, a global intelligence company, who stated the obvious: “[T]here are significantly more kidnappings in many other cities throughout Latin America. San Salvador, Guatemala City, Bogota as well as several cities in Mexico certainly have higher kidnapping rates than Phoenix.”

Here's the whole article: GOP: Arizona a Deathtrap

Anyhow, it's food for thought?