Crime down in 2006, District Attorney vows to make Queens safer in 2007

Continuing a decade-long trend, crime in Queens continued to drop in 2006, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The downturn includes a 10.6 percent drop in homicides, from 94 in 2005 to 84 last year  the lowest since 1967. Queens County is the only borough to note a decrease in homicides last year.
According to NYPD statistics, there were 84 homicides in 2006 in Queens. This is the lowest number of murders in the borough since 1967, during which the county also recorded 84 violent deaths. The 108th Precinct in Long Island City recorded the greatest decrease among the 16 police precincts in Queens, with a drop of 71 percent, followed by the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park with a drop of 63 percent and the 113th Precinct in South Jamaica with a drop of 54 percent.
The reduction in the level of violence in the county has been so significant  a drop of 74 percent since 1993 that some have questioned whether it could be maintained,  said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. The 2006 figures  showing that the levels have remained near or below their historic lows  offer clear and compelling evidence that our law enforcement initiatives continue to have a profound impact in making Queens County one of the safest counties in the nation. 
While serious crime continued to drop dramatically, the total number of prosecutions  which includes non-violent and quality of life offenses  increased in 2006, exceeding the 70,000 mark, according to Brown.
The District Attorney s felony conviction rate remains the best citywide  94.6 percent  and his office s dismissal rate of felony complaints and indictments was the lowest.
Violent crimes such as rape, robbery and felony assault also declined in Queens during 2006, dropping 2.5 percent over the previous year. Overall, the major crime categories have seen a reduction of 26 percent over the past five years and 74 percent since 1993.
In addition to investigating and prosecuting criminal activity, Brown has established cutting-edge intervention and prevention programs to reduce crime throughout Queens County.     
Among those initiatives are the Queens Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) and the Queens Treatment Court (QTC), which both carefully select non-violent drug addicted defendants into community based residential and out-patient treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration.
I am optimistic that by continuing the very successful strategies that we have employed in recent years we can make Queens County even safer in 2007,  said Brown..