That is something. My late father and two of his younger bothers once lived in Newark.
For all of a week. Three gunfights outside their door was enough. On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > Wow, how sad that this is a good statistic, but how great it is to read it. > I know the so-called "War on Drugs" has rightfully been attacked as a > mistaken label and direction, but in cases where known drug dealing is > directly related to murder, something has to be done. I've been impressed > with Mayor Booker. he seems like the real deal. I'm sure those of you who > live up that way will disabuse me of that notion if it's incorrect! > > ***************************************************** > > http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/newark_officials_police_credit.html > Newark officials credit first homicide-free month in 44 years to > 'large-scale' drug sweeps By Star-Ledger > Staff<http://connect.nj.com/user/njoslstaff/index.html> April > 02, 2010, 8:00AM > > [image: newark.JPG]Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerAn aerial photo > of the city of Newark.NEWARK <http://www.nj.com/newark/> -- When the clock > struck midnight on April 1, Newark reached a milestone: its first > homicide-free calendar month in 44 years. While police and city officials > say that’s a solid benchmark, they say there’s more work to do. > > "I just think its amazing. Four consecutive weeks without a murder, " > Police Director Garry McCarthy said. "The program strategies and policies > are working and we’re going to stick with them, but the goal is zero > (homicides). > > "It’s going to take us a while to get to zero, but right now these are big > changes," he said. > > McCarthy credited large-scale sweeps at some of the city’s most notorious > drug strongholds — in one case nearly 150 arrests during a six-month > operation — as well as increased police presence on city streets at night > with helping keep the city without a homicide from Feb. 28 through > tonight.City officials also said community safety caravans as well as the > installation of the ShotSpotters gunshot detection system and surveillance > cameras in high-crime neighborhoods has helped. > > The last time a calendar month passed without a homicide in the state’s > largest city was May 1966. McCarthy said his goal is to keep the streak > going as long as possible. In 2008, the city went 43 days in March and April > without a homicide, the longest span since 1961. > > "The reason this is happening is because of the takedown at (Garden) > Spires<http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/newark_officials_announce_149.html>, > the reason why it’s happening is because of the takedown at Stephen Crane, > Pennington Court," McCarthy said, referring to several housing projects > known as havens for drug dealers. "Step by step, there’s a systematic > clean-up of all these traditional locations ...We’re attacking and holding > on to those locations." > > There have been 10 homicides in Newark during the first three months of the > year, matching the total for the same period a year ago. That’s the > second-lowest first-quarter total since 1941, police said. > > Since taking over the Newark Police Department in 2006, McCarthy’s approach > to reducing the city’s homicide rate has been simple — fewer shootings will > result in fewer deaths. That strategy appears to have held true in March, > with only eight reported shootings. In March 2009, there were 11 shootings, > resulting in three homicides, according to police records. > > McCarthy said the arrest of 149 suspected drug dealers at the Garden Spires > apartments during a six-month undercover operation may have helped stifle > the homicide rate by preventing narcotics disputes that often turn deadly. > > "That group of drug dealers was responsible for an inordinate amount of > violence," he said. "This drug gang was involved in violent acts in a lot of > other places too, not just Garden Spires." > > Overall, Newark’s crime rate has dropped 13 percent compared to the > first-quarter of 2009, with shootings, aggravated assaults, robberies and > carjackings all lower than a year ago, police said. > > "We have made major strides in reducing crime in Newark and providing our > residents with a safer, stronger, and prouder community," Mayor Cory Booker > said today. "This has been the result of new alliances, 21st-century > technology, innovative approaches to protecting our city, groundbreaking > efforts to prevent recidivism, the support of our residents, and the courage > and valor manifested by Newark’s police officers." > > >
