Public perception of crime is not based on the murder statistics (though of course the occasional senseless killing during a robbery raises more outrage than the garden-variety domestic violence murder). Perception of crime in my neighborhood (Centennial Park/Marietta Artery) is based on the ability to walk down the street without being accosted by a beggar, or to park your car without having it broken into, or to walk the sidewalk after dark without fear of being robbed. I'm in a fairly secure condo building so fear of a break-in is not that great, but in surrounding neighborhoods of free-standing houses, break-ins are rampant. Just as you met my statement of reality with more references to statistics, the police and the city government here continue to give each other pats on the back as the populace grows ever more wary based on what we see on the streets out our windows with our own eyes, not based on the media or the official stats. We don't have a math problem--we have a police manpower, quality of life, and law enforcement problem.