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NYC's Murder Rate Hits New Lows
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The city's murder rate so far has dropped dramatically. There have been 84 murders through Sunday, and the Post reports that's an "average of roughly one per day - an astonishing figure compared to the early 1990s when six New Yorkers were killed during a typical 24-hour period." For reference, last year, there were 117 murders during the same period.
Additionally, shootings are down 20% versus the same period last year (203 incidents in 2007, 254 during first quarter 2006) and arrests are up 11.6%. David Kennedy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Center for Crime Prevention and Control tells the Times, "There isn’t any other big city that continues to show these remarkable results for such a long time. The national crime decline is over.”
But one concern is the violence against police officers. While the Mayor focuses on the illegal firearms on the streets, the NY Sun speaks to some who believe much of the violence is due to anti-cop sentiment. City Councilman Peter Vallone says, "Officers are being attacked solely because they are wearing blue." Sidebar: When asked by the Observer about the NYPD's spying on fellow Council member Charles Barron, Vallone said Barron had it coming - "Although any group that Charles Barron is associated with—since he has actually made threats against the police, by saying ‘We’re not the only ones who bleed’—probably should be monitored."
And Selectroclash took this picture of a Mercedes-Benz NYPD patrol car. Is it real? And is this vehicle strictly for the Upper East Side?
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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