MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND POLICE COMMISSIONER
RAYMOND W. KELLY ANNOUNCE OPERATION IMPACT

800 Police Officers to Target 61 Impact Zones Citywide

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced Operation Impact, a new initiative aimed at reducing and preventing serious and violent crimes by deploying approximately 800 Police Officers each day to 61 strategically targeted locations.  These impact zones are within 21 Precincts, 38 Transit Bureaus, and two Housing Bureaus that exhibit a greater propensity for crime during certain hours and days.  These sites were selected based on analyses of crime trends identified through COMPSTAT.  The Mayor and Commissioner announced the initiative at the 77th Precinct, which contains one of the 61 impact zones, in Brooklyn. 

“In 2002, our Police Department drove down crime to record low levels and
New York remained the world’s safest large City,” Mayor Bloomberg said.  “In order to keep improving public safety in 2003, we are implementing more innovative programs, such as Operation Impact, to continue our relentless assault against crime.  Operation Impact will focus on those neighborhoods with higher crime rates by strategically and systematically monitoring and combating criminal activities in those areas.  And the Police Department will be hard at work to make 2003 even safer than the record-setting year of 2002.”

“Operation Impact is an all out blitz on crime with a special focus on suppressing violent crime,” Commissioner Kelly said.  “By carefully analyzing where crimes are located, we are able to strategically target areas with the greatest propensity for crime.  Our goal is to keep the pressure on crime and keep New York the safest big city in America.”

As part of Operation Impact, the NYPD will track crimes, enforcement, and deployment on a daily basis, place highly visible Field Command Posts throughout the impact zones, and conduct daily intelligence briefings to examine current crime trends and conditions.  Operation Impact will also target gangs and narcotics, as well as identifying and apprehending individuals with outstanding warrants for past crimes.  The NYPD will coordinate its efforts with the five District Attorneys and will assign Police Academy graduates to field training in the impact zones. 

Thanks to the NYPD’s aggressive and effective policies and tactics, New York City experienced record lows in crime in 2002.  While crime levels rose nationwide, New York City’s crime rate reached its lowest level since 1963.  Overall, crime in 2002 declined by over 5%, yielding the following totals:

•  Murders decreased by 10.6% to 580;
•  Rapes increased by 5.1% to 2,017;
•  Robberies decreased by 2.8% to 27,101;
•  Felony assaults decreased by 10.1% to 20,684;
•  Burglaries decreased by 4.5% to 31,220;
•  Grand larcenies decreased by 1.8% to 45,401; and
•  Grand larcenies of auto decreased by 10.9% to 26,376.

In addition, Operation Clean Sweep, which was launched in January 2002 to target quality of life offenses reported to precincts and the NYPD’s quality of life hotline, has achieved impressive results, producing over 11,000 arrests and over 110,000 summonses through January 6th, 2003. Operation Clean Sweep will continue this year.