Tuesday, February 14, 1978

Reports of Violent Crime Dropped by 9% in NYC Last Year

The total number of violent crimes reported in NYC declined last year, for the first time since 1973, according to statistics made available yesterday by the Police Dept.

The Dept said that a total of 121,916 violent crimes – murders, forcible rapes, robberies and assaults – were reported in 1977 a 9 percent drop from the 1976 number: 134,153.

The overall number of major crimes – including burglary, larceny and motor-vehicle theft dropped 7% to 610,062.

But even with the one year improvement the overall figure for 1977 was higher than it had been in all recent years but 1976 and even exceeded the total recorded in 1971 which was regarded as an exceptionally high crime year.
(591,9292 major crimes and 126,740 violent).

Criminals were finding it “easier and safer to rip off property than people.”

1977 crime figures were depressed by extreme cold weather early in the year….

The number of homicides was placed at 1,557, 65 fewer than in the year before.


NYT 2/14/78

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