Mayor Bloomberg And Commissioner Ray Kelly Say NYC Crime Is Down

Mayor Bloomberg held a news conference on Wednesday to announce that New York City crime was down in 2011, despite statistics saying that major crime in the city has slightly risen .04 percent.

In the rather perplexing announcement the mayor attributed the uptick to the inclusion of a new crime, strangulation, used to determine the city's overall crime rate. According to The New York Times, the adjustment in classification was made in 2010 and defined strangulation in the first-and-second degree to be felonies, with third-degree strangulation classified as a misdemeanor.

Bloomberg said that had the formula not been modified to include strangulation as a felony, overall crime would have dropped by 1.2 percent and 2011 would have been the 21st consecutive year in which major felonies had declined. But because of the change in law, felony assaults saw a significant 7.6 percent increase.

Bloomberg continued to praise 2011 as one of the safest in history and referred to Tuesday's announcement that the life expectancy for New Yorkers had reached an all-time high. He said:

Despite tough fiscal times, New York's frontline public safety agencies - the NYPD and the FDNY - continue to keep our city safer than in any time in recorded history...Their successes are a major reason why our population is at a record high and growing, our life-expectancy has surged, an all-time high of more than 50 million people will have visited our city during 2011 and businesses continue to open and expand in our city.

Other positive statistics included a 5 percent decrease in homicides and the number of fatalities resulting from fires was the second lowest since 1916.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was also present during Wednesday's press conference. He said the mayor had accredited police work to the direct reason behind the "dramatic, Guinness Book of Records" reduction in crime over the past two decades.

Correction: This article previously and misleadingly called the Mayor's announcement "perplexing." It is not. if you count crime the same way in 2010 and 2011, crime is down in 2011.

Comments

[treasuredtrophie]

09:13 AM on 12/30/2011

Well its up in my small town. Way up even murder now. Last week 16 old killed 19 year old gun went off acidentally 5 times 1130 AM not even safe in the morning now.

[vetxcl]

09:09 AM on 12/30/2011

Der Furror sez what? Wait, let me turn down the volume on my AM radio. BRB

[straight skinny]

06:45 AM on 12/30/2011

I give credit where credit is due. Mayor Bloomberg made the Best Decision in his life when he brought in Ray Kelly to be New York City's Police Commissioner right after 9/11. A former Marine Corps Officer and combat veteran in Vietnam and later earning a JD degree as well as an MPA degree, he retired as a Full Bird Colonel from the Marine Corps Reserve after 30 years! He has kept New York City and it's citizens safe along with Mayor Bloomberg for over 10 years now. Kudos to both!!

[Venicelady]

06:26 AM on 12/30/2011

The Mayor and Police Commissioner say that crime in NYC is down.

Interesting - could this "data" have been manipulated in the same sense that the Mayor claims NYC public schools are improving?

Just a thought....

[formeraf80]

01:53 AM on 12/30/2011

If Mayor Bloomberg told me the sun was going to come up in the east in the morning,,I would start worrying..I would never believe him, no matter what he says. He is a self serving politician,,worse than most.

[trueamericans]

01:42 AM on 12/30/2011

as Joe would say Bloomberg you lie you S.O.B.

[soothesayer]

01:16 AM on 12/30/2011

Jackie Mason '08 Vlog 62 Rage At Mayor Bloomberg

[soothesayer]

01:14 AM on 12/30/2011

bloomberg is a pathological liar. just ask jackie mason.

[Joe L Cascio]

12:46 AM on 12/30/2011

The thieves of New York have spoken.............listen too them dummies

[NYC07]

12:42 AM on 12/30/2011

Crime is down...... Well at least until the next Expose by the Village Voice that shows that they doctored the stats.

[Venicelady]

06:26 AM on 12/30/2011

Exactly.....

[rbcranson]

12:41 AM on 12/30/2011

I believe Mayor Bloomberg just like I believe in the tooth fairy, Santa Clause & the Easter Bunny.

[treasuredtrophie]

09:11 AM on 12/30/2011

The Bunny isn't real?

[grknight4]

12:20 AM on 12/30/2011

He is a sad proof that money buy VOTES also.

[grknight4]

12:19 AM on 12/30/2011

How a state which is famous for the love of freedom and liberties, elect a my rich way or the high-way for mayor.

That bloom dude looks evil

[Unca Allen]

11:50 PM on 12/29/2011

Only one statistic wasn't mentioned by the spinmeister: Handgun felonies were UP. Could this be because only cops and crooks carry guns in NYC? All states that enacted CCW laws have experienced a huge drop in gun-related crimes.

[wro2996725]

11:46 PM on 12/29/2011

What is all this whining about Bloomberg and his money. He has always had money. I remember, years ago, watching cops beating the crap out of people in Times Square and all around NYC. The last few mayors have done a good job of clearing out the riff-raff from tourist areas and teaching the cops to show a little more respect for idiots on the streets. In the last decade or so, they have placed polite cops who can communicate with people in Times Square., etc. I don't live there but have seen great improvement and it probably helps that there are many more cops. The OWS whiners have had their 15 minutes and the evils of commerce and real life are going on in New York just fine now, thank-you......and thanks Mr Mayor and Commissioner Kelly