MAJOR CRIMES CONTINUE TO DROP IN QUEENS BELOW 1999 LEVELS
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that preliminary statistics as of mid-December 2000, show that Queens has had a 9% drop in major crimes, the largest decline in the City compared to the same period last year.
District Attorney Brown said, “Preliminary figures through December 10, 2000 show that major crimes have declined again this year by 11.05% in the precincts which comprise Queens North and by 6.71% in the precincts which comprise Queens South. There have, for an example, been fewer homicides through December 17, 2000 (108 vs. 120 in 1999) and auto thefts have decreased from 13,538 to 12,032 this year”.
District Attorney Brown said, “The Police Department's crime control strategies and our office's focus on career criminals and other violent predators continues to drive down the rate of robberies, burglaries and other violent street crime. In addition, our office's proactive investigations of organized narcotics trafficking across Queens has also helped eliminate much of the violence that ordinarily plagues areas afflicted by drug trafficking”.
“In addition to long term drug trafficking investigations we have worked closely with the New York City Police Department to effectively prosecute almost 7,000 street narcotic arrests and additional quality of life arrests generated by various initiatives. To date this year our office has obtained 662 search warrants in narcotics cases alone. Overall, it is my belief that a sustained effort at both street narcotics enforcement as well as more organized violent drug gang investigations have helped drive down the crime rate”.
District Attorney Brown said, “We have also made enormous progress in cutting the rate of auto crime by almost 72% since 1990. In 1990 50,239 vehicles were stolen here in Queens County as compared to just 12,032 so far this year. We have made these gain through the use of sting operations, electronic surveillance and investigations into illegal chop shop operations. We have also focused on the stolen auto parts industry and on the individual career car thief, obtaining convictions and prison sentences in a significant number of cases."
District Attorney Brown concluded, “It is clear that enhanced investigative efforts and heightened narcotics enforcement, as well as our persistence in convicting career criminals and repeat offenders, have had a major impact on crime in Queens County.”