Is crime going up or down in Northern Manhattan?
Murder was in the news in 2006 in Washington Heights & Inwood. There was the tragic killing of 81 year-old Jacob Gerstle during a robbery in the lobby of his building on 186th St.; the death of Leslie Bloom on Broadway in Inwood from random gunfire; and the stabbing murder of Janet Fernandez by her teenage step-son in their apartment on 177th St. No fewer than 20 lives were lost to violence in 2006 in our community’s two police precincts—a rise of 25% over 2005.
But the statistics tell a mixed story. Overall crime in the 33rd and 34th precincts actually fell this past year by 5.6%, thanks largely to a substantial drop in grand larceny. And even the murder rate is down dramatically when compared to its terrifying peak of 119 killings in 1991. The officers of our local precincts have worked heroically to achieve these results, and they continue to win praise for their effectiveness and professionalism.
This success is all the more amazing when considering the dramatic drop in police resources Washington Heights-Inwood has experienced. Ten years ago each of our two precincts was staffed by 250 officers. Today there are just 165 officers in the 34th and 140 in the in 33rd. In part this is due to a city-wide shrinking of the force. And a precipitous drop in the salary for new officers—now a just $25,100—has exacerbated this situation, creating a growing stream of talent leaving for suburban departments with higher pay and less stressful conditions.
But Washington Heights-Inwood has lost significantly more than its fair share of police resources, and worrying trends in our local crime statistics make this impossible to ignore. City-wide, the NYPD employs one officer for every 219 residents. But in our densely populated neighborhood the average is now an astonishingly low one per 688 residents. The steady drop in local crime in past years has no doubt justified a draw-down in resources. But the disturbing rise in murders, coupled with an apparent resurgence in the drug trade and gang activity, means the time to increase staff at our local precincts is now. And we can easily afford it: the City’s budget surplus is expected to reach nearly $4 billion this year.
Our community has shown that we get results when we speak out on public safety. When Mayor Bloomberg faced a barrage of complaints from hundreds of local residents in a town hall meeting here in the fall of 2004, there was an immediate, visible increase in the number of officers on the streets—but unfortunately the move proved only temporary.
We need to start the new year with a campaign of letters to Mayor Bloomberg (c/o City Hall, NY, NY 10007) to demand a PERMANENT increase in officers for Washington Heights-Inwood. This may be the only way to assure that in 2007 there will be far fewer news reports of lives lost in our streets.
But the statistics tell a mixed story. Overall crime in the 33rd and 34th precincts actually fell this past year by 5.6%, thanks largely to a substantial drop in grand larceny. And even the murder rate is down dramatically when compared to its terrifying peak of 119 killings in 1991. The officers of our local precincts have worked heroically to achieve these results, and they continue to win praise for their effectiveness and professionalism.
This success is all the more amazing when considering the dramatic drop in police resources Washington Heights-Inwood has experienced. Ten years ago each of our two precincts was staffed by 250 officers. Today there are just 165 officers in the 34th and 140 in the in 33rd. In part this is due to a city-wide shrinking of the force. And a precipitous drop in the salary for new officers—now a just $25,100—has exacerbated this situation, creating a growing stream of talent leaving for suburban departments with higher pay and less stressful conditions.
But Washington Heights-Inwood has lost significantly more than its fair share of police resources, and worrying trends in our local crime statistics make this impossible to ignore. City-wide, the NYPD employs one officer for every 219 residents. But in our densely populated neighborhood the average is now an astonishingly low one per 688 residents. The steady drop in local crime in past years has no doubt justified a draw-down in resources. But the disturbing rise in murders, coupled with an apparent resurgence in the drug trade and gang activity, means the time to increase staff at our local precincts is now. And we can easily afford it: the City’s budget surplus is expected to reach nearly $4 billion this year.
Our community has shown that we get results when we speak out on public safety. When Mayor Bloomberg faced a barrage of complaints from hundreds of local residents in a town hall meeting here in the fall of 2004, there was an immediate, visible increase in the number of officers on the streets—but unfortunately the move proved only temporary.
We need to start the new year with a campaign of letters to Mayor Bloomberg (c/o City Hall, NY, NY 10007) to demand a PERMANENT increase in officers for Washington Heights-Inwood. This may be the only way to assure that in 2007 there will be far fewer news reports of lives lost in our streets.
posted by Mark D. Levine at
9:41 PM
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