The first section provides the results of the Safest Cities competition, a crime study that ranks more than 200 cities of 100,000 population or more in overall safety; in addition, rankings of metropolitan areas are provided. A new section in this third edition is the "Crime Overview," which presents definitions, facts, and comment that provide insight into the numbers presented in this book. The third section reports statistics for metropolitan areas. Forty tables, presented in both alphabetical and rank order, compare 266 metropolitan areas in numbers of crimes, crime rates, and crime trends over 1 and 5 years. In order to be included in this report, a metropolitan area must meet two criteria. First, at least 75 percent of all law enforcement agencies must have reported crime statistics; and second, the central city/cities must have submitted 12 months of data in 1995. Section four features statistical tables that show crime rankings for cities. More than 300 cities of 75,000 population or more are examined in 10 categories of crime, 100 more cities than were covered in last year's book. Crime numbers, rates, and percent changes in crime rates over 1 and 5 years are featured. In addition, tables that show numbers and rates of police officers patrolling the streets of these larger cities are provided. The fifth and final section consists of appendixes that provide population tables for cities and metro areas, as well as cross reference tools that describe which cities and counties compose specific metropolitan areas.