Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958
Marilyn Mode (212) 374-6700 (NYPD)
The FBI's report shows that New York City continues to lead the nation in the fight against crime. Over the last four years, of the 25 largest cities in the country, New York City has experienced the largest sustained crime decrease - 46.2 percent from 1993 to 1998. New York City has dropped to 166 on a list of 217 cities with populations over 100,000. In fact, New York City continues to be safer than cities such as Atlanta (1), Orlando (2), Miami (8), Fort Lauderdale (13), Winston-Salem, North Carolina (25), Minneapolis (32), Dallas (35), Phoenix (42) San Antonio (77), Philadelphia (85), Houston (93), Boston (110), San Francisco (114) and San Diego (160). New York City is also the safest city in the nation among cities with a population of over one million, including Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Diego.
Crime continues to plummet in New York City as of May 9th, with a decrease of 11.83 percent over the same period in 1998 and 54.87 percent since 1993. The FBI's Preliminary report is comprised of crime data from cities with populations of over 100,000 for calendar year 1998, with the number of cities reporting varying slightly from year to year.
The chart below shows the nationwide percentage changes in crime as compared to New York City for calendar year 1998, based on preliminary data by the FBI and the New York City Police Department:
1998 FBI CRIME STATISTICS
NATIONWIDE
|
CRIME
|
NEW YORK CITY
|
-8%
|
Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter
|
-17.8%
|
-5%
|
Forcible Rape
|
- 5.1%
|
-11%
|
Robbery
|
-12.0%
|
-5%
|
Aggravated Assault
|
-3.0%
|
-7%
|
VIOLENT CRIME VS. PERSONS
|
-7.5%
|
-7%
|
Burglary
|
-14.6%
|
-6%
|
Larceny Theft
|
-6.4%
|
-10%
|
Motor Vehicle Theft
|
-15.1%
|
-7%
|
CRIMES VS. PROPERTY
|
-9.8%
|
-7%
|
TOTAL CRIME INDEX
|
-9.2%
|