A national study released recently has the numbers for which cities rank among America's safest and most dangerous.

Pittsburgh's answer is surprising, as well as the controversy it's causing among cities across the country.

Morgan Quitno Press' 13th annual survey, using FBI statistics, said Pittsburgh is among the 70 most crime-ridden cities in the country.

Up from 69 out of 369 cities a year ago to 65 out of 371 metropolitan areas.

The study is based upon local crime numbers compared to the national average.

"It makes for a great story, but in terms of shaping policy, I don't think it's the sort of thing that we want to start developing policies around," said Dr. Phyllis Coontz, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Coontz sees flaws in the way information in the study has been interpreted for the report, stating that in any given year, you do not have 100 percent reporting across all law enforcement agencies.

Even the study's creators acknowledged that the annual survey has become a source of controversy in the law enforcement community.

Their rankings have omitted major urban areas. Missing cities include Chicago, Cleveland, New Haven, Conn., New Orleans and Wichita, Kan.

The FBI said they would not comment on how the information they collect is published and used in the particular study.

For the record, the most dangerous city in the study is St. Louis.

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