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Report: NYC Remains Safest Big City In The U.S.

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880/CBS 2) -- Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Monday that New York City remained the safest big city in the nation.

NYC beat out San Jose and San Diego in an analysis released by the FBI in its Crime in the United States report – which ranked Index Crime rates of the 25 largest cities in the United States.  According to the report, overall crime in the city decreased from 2008 to 2009 by 5.1 percent.

Furthermore, the murder rate dropped 9.9 percent and robberies went down 16.2 percent compared to an 8 percent drop nationwide.

"The men and women of the NYPD have found new ways to further drive down crime, even when faced with tough economic times and the threat of terrorism," Bloomberg said in a press release. "We will continue doing everything possible to keep making the safest big city in the country even safer."

"The data reflects in no small measure the dedication and hard work of New York City Police officers, and the Mayor's commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe, year after year," Kelly said.

Of the 266 American cities with populations larger than 100,000 that reported data to the FBI, New York's crime rate ranked 248th, placing it between Garden Grove, California and Sunnyvale, California.

No other City with more than 262,000 people ranked safer than New York City.

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