Birmingham was rated sixth most dangerous city in the US for its high crime rate. I'd wager a bet that the crime rate has something to do with the fact that the city council has police officer salaries practically at poverty level. Assuming that one of Birmingham's finest works 2080 hours per year, they're getting paid around $13.50 an hour. Considering that retail jobs pay between (on average) $8 to $10 per hour, a police officer isn't getting much of a risk premium.

That's sad.