Contact: Colleen Roche/Curt Ritter (212) 788-2958
The Mayor also noted that according to the more up-to-date New York City Police Department statistics, overall crime has decreased 11 percent and murder has decreased by 20 percent since January 1998. And over the last five years, overall crime has dropped 50 percent, while murder is down 68 percent.
Also attending the awards breakfast were New York City Police Department Commissioner Howard Safir, The Police Foundation Executive Director, Pam Delaney; and CRIMESTOPPERS Committee Chair, George Benjamin.
"I am honored to accept the 1998 CRIMESTOPPER Of The Year award," said Mayor Giuliani. "This award should be shared by the men and women of the New York City Police Department, as well as by all New Yorkers who have risen to the challenge and helped turn our City around.
"Today, New York City is no longer the Crime Capital Of The World as it was five years ago. Instead it now outpaces the rest of the nation in crime reduction," the Mayor continued. "Last Sunday, when the FBI released its Uniform Crime Report for the first six months of 1998, New York City once again registered the lowest crime rate among cities with populations of one million or more. If you were to take into account smaller cities with populations over 100,000 people, New York City ranks 163rd out of the 197 cities reporting total crime index - a major achievement, considering that in 1993 we ranked 87th of the 187 cities on the list. On behalf of the entire City, I want to thank you and congratulate everyone who has worked so hard to make CRIMESTOPPERS such a phenomenal success by bringing the entire city together to confront the problems that affect us all," the Mayor concluded.
The City's success in reducing crime over the last five years can be attributed to a number of factors including: increased accountability throughout the police ranks; the innovation of Compstat and other pioneering policing strategies; concentration on quality of life crimes; the City's comprehensive strategy to confront the problem of drug abuse, and the partnership built between the Police Department and the City's communities.
Since it was established in New York City in 1983, CRIMESTOPPERS has become a vital resource for the Police Department and the people of New York City and because of their sustained energy and focus, New Yorkers have been able to solve some of the City's most serious felonies. With the help of CRIMESTOPPERS, over the last 15 years more than 2,800 violent crimes have been solved -- of which 644 were murders and 1,078 were robberies -- from the anonymous tips of the 179,000 people that have called the hotline.
The Police Department's CRIMESTOPPERS Unit has received a conviction rate of 98 percent and is staffed by a Lieutenant, a Sergeant and 13 Detectives. CRIMESTOPPERS receives an average of over 15,000 calls annually. Anyone with important information about a violent crime in New York City can call 1-800-577-TIPS or in Spanish at 212-57-PISTA. All callers remain anonymous. Should your information lead to the arrest of a suspect, you are eligible for a reward up to $1,000.