Over the past 10 years, crime dropped in Dallas more than in any other U.S. city with a population of 1 million or more, Police Chief David Brown told the City Council, says the Dallas Morning News. Brown said overall crime has declined by 45 percent. The declaration comes with caveats. Beginning in 2007, Dallas police repeatedly changed the way they report some crimes, including thefts, burglaries and assaults. Council member Scott Griggs asked Brown what effect those reporting changes had on the figures the chief was citing. Brown said the changes affected “just very small fringes” of the overall crime statistics. Mayor Mike Rawlings wants Dallas to be one of the five safest big cities as measured by the overall rate of reported crime. Dallas ranks sixth, according to data reported to the FBI. New York is first, followed by Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Philadelphia.