New York City On Pace For Fewer Than 300 Murders In 2017, NYPD Says
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City is on pace to have fewer than 300 murders this year.
As WCBS 880's Mike Smeltz reports, its an even more impressive feat considering the city saw nearly 2,300 murders in 1990.
NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill says greater communication between officers and New Yorkers is the driver behind the drop.
"I think neighborhood policing is really helping us out, I think having more police officers on patrol, getting away from that specialist cop within the precinct to the generalist cop, having more cars and more people on foot I think it's important," he said in a press conference Friday.
Murders were up in October. The 26 homicides were four more than in the same period last year, but the figure includes the eight people killed in the terror attack in Lower Manhattan on Halloween.
The other major crime set that increased this past month was rape, up nearly 17 percent compared to October 2016. NYPD officials attribute that increase to greater reporting of sex crimes by victims.
