Release #211-98

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Dwight Williams (212) 788-2972

"The New York City Police Department has set the standard for policing in the late 20th Century," Mayor Giuliani said. "New York has been transformed from a City with over 2,000 murders each year, to a City with less than 800 murders a year, and with overall crime almost cut in half in a five-year period. New York City is now the safest large city in America.

"Over the last five years, policing in New York City has undergone a radical change," the Mayor continued. "Thanks to Commissioner Howard Safir's leadership there is increased accountability throughout the ranks and a commitment to enforce quality of life laws. The implementation of the Compstat system has been a key component of the Police Department's success. All 76 precinct commanders, in conjunction with top level police management, use Compstat to identify crime patterns and allocate appropriate resources. The goal is to deter crimes before they occur.

"We now have a historic opportunity to build on the Police Department's success and make permanent the reductions in crime. That is why last October, I launched a comprehensive strategy to make our neighborhoods and schools drug-free. Drugs are at the root of so much crime -- robbing people of their independence, devastating families and tearing neighborhoods apart.

"While I consider the men and women of the Police Department to be the foot soldiers in the fight against drugs, this comprehensive drug strategy also calls on every community throughout the City to mobilize against abuse. Working together, we will get the job done," the Mayor concluded.

On October 1, 1997, Mayor Giuliani launched a comprehensive drug strategy. The Mayor's initiative seeks to remove drugs from schools and neighborhoods through a coordinated law enforcement, treatment and educational effort.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Eight hundred police officers will graduate from the Academy this July and will join the anti-drug campaign.
• Five anti-drug initiatives are now in operation, with four new initiatives scheduled to be fully operational by July.
• Seven parks are now drug-free zones, including Washington Square Park.
• The number of Drug Free School Zones has been increased from 40 to 100 citywide. The number of schools in the Safe Corridor Program has been doubled from 120 to 240.

• The number of citywide treatment beds at Rikers Island has been increased.
• The Department of Correction has implemented new treatment programs.
• The Department of Probation has increased residential and outpatient treatment capacity.

• Support for the DARE program -- where police officers teach elememtary school students about the dangers of drugs -- has been increased in public schools throughout the City.
• The number of Beacon Schools has been expanded from 41 to 51.
• Police officers, in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority's Community Center Counselors, are providing modified DARE programs and Gang Resistance programs.