New York City's murder rate has dropped for the third year in a row, with other major felonies declining as well.
According to the New York Police Department, 278 murders were recorded in the city as of Dec. 16, marking three fewer than were recorded during the same period last year, reports The Wall Street Journal. In addition, major felonies, such as murder, felony assault, burglary, robbery, grand larceny, and vehicle thefts dropped to 91,734, for a 1.6 percent decline.
The declines come while the police department has been making fewer arrests and after Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped a stop-and-frisk tactic a federal court ruled as unconstitutional.
"We know we're the safest big city in America," de Blasio told a press briefing this month. "It's being proven more and more all the time."
While most serious crime rates dropped, more rapes were reported, with police receiving 1,725 complaints through Dec. 16, or 23 percent more than the 1,407 last year. However, officials say that might be because of the #MeToo movement, which has encouraged more people to report the assaults.
Last year, with 292 murders reported, was the first time the count had dropped below 300 since 1951. However, in 1990, there were 2,245 murders.
De Blasio says a neighborhood policing program, which calls for officers to build relationships with the community, was the prime reason murder rates have dropped.
Police officials say technology such as auto sensors and license plate trackers have also led to the decline.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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