This year, several cities of 75,000+ population did not report complete crime information and thus were not included in the Safest Cities rankings. Chicago, IL and Baltimore, MD were the largest and most significant cities for which data were not available. The other cities are: Aurora, IL; Naperville, IL; Peoria, IL; Rockford, IL; Springfield, IL and Wichita Falls, TX. Specific reasons for these cities' data problems are as follows:
Chicago and Other Illinois Cities: For several years, rape numbers submitted by cities in the state of Illinois have not met the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) guidelines. This remains the case with 1999 crime data. According to state statisticians, the state of Illinois tracks "sexual assault," which includes not only female rapes, but also offenses such as male rape, sodomy, etc. For these reasons, Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield once again are not found in this year's Safest Cities rankings.