Source: The New York Times 
Copyright: 1998 The New York Times
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Forum: http://forums.nytimes.com/comment/
Section: Editorial
Pubdate: Wed, 30 Dec 1998

A SAFER NEW YORK

As New Yorkers look ahead to the new year, they can take satisfaction in
the vibrant stock market and the tourist boom that continue to create new
jobs. The Yankees won the World Series and the Jets are headed into the
playoffs. The litter that once filled midtown is largely gone. But perhaps
more than anything else that has lifted spirits, the city is safer. Another
piece of good news came recently in the sharp decline in homicides this
year. As of Monday there were 620 homicides in 1998, a pace that is below
the 1964 total of 636 homicides. Turning the homicide rate back 34 years is
an impressive feat, given that 2,262 people were killed in the city in 1990. 

The decline may be the result of many social factors, such as a generally
healthy economy, a drop in the number of people in their teens and 20's,
and a shift away from crack cocaine in the illegal drug market. But the
city's focused and innovative policing strategies also deserve a good share
of the credit. 

While crime rates have gone down nationwide from 1991 through 1997, New
York's experience is exceptional. Recent data from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation show that New York City ranks 163d in per-capita crime out of
200 cities with populations over 100,000. Even cities that have had success
in reducing overall crime have not shown similar success in cutting
homicide numbers. In Baltimore, for example, the number of killings this
year has just reached 300 -- in a city with less than a tenth of New York's
population. 

New York's success is due in large part to a policing philosophy that
focuses on crime reduction, rather than after-the-fact crime-solving. The
Police Department's anti-drug initiatives have targeted drug gangs and
dealers in all boroughs of the city. Stabilizing dangerous blocks by
cleaning up parks and encouraging residents to reclaim public spaces is
helping to drive out drug traffickers. Continuous computer mapping of crime
"hot spots" allows precincts to deploy officers to blocks where crime is
likely to occur. 

Strong measures aimed at gun violence have also helped. A street-crimes
unit of some 400 officers, specially trained to ferret out illegal
handguns, has been responsible for about 40 percent of all the guns
captured by the police. The benefits of these initiatives have been
particularly impressive in neighborhoods, such as Washington Heights and
parts of Harlem, that have been victimized by crime for years. 

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir should be
commended for these results. 

But aggressive policing also means the Mayor and Mr. Safir must be even
more vigilant about rooting out and preventing police misconduct. Their
reluctance to admit that the department has been slow to crack down on
brutality, improper raids on innocent people and internal cover-ups of
rogue police behavior remains a serious blemish on their achievements. 

Meanwhile, the Mayor and Mr. Safir could use more help from Congress. Both
have been energetic advocates for strong gun-control laws. Although New
York has strict handgun laws, it is estimated that some three-quarters of
the guns used in crimes in the city come from out of state, often from
states with weaker gun-control laws. 

National legislation that clamps down on gun sales -- such as a law
limiting an individual's gun purchases in any state to one a month -- could
make an important difference in New York's continuing effort to make the
city a safer place.

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Checked-by: Richard Lake