Murder Up, Major Crime Still Down

It had to happen sometime. After years of dropping, the murder rate in New York City this year is back on the rise, up 9 percent from this time a year ago. But wait! Before you start freaking out, some context: "'This year has seen the second-lowest number of homicides in over 40 years,' said Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne. 'The only year lower was last year.'"

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk numbers. Though major crime - including murder, rape, robberies, and felony assaults - are still declining, the number of murders in the city has risen this year in every borough besides Queens. Brooklyn takes the prize for the most homicides this year with 81, up from 79 this time last year. Next up is the Bronx with 63, up from 55, followed by Manhattan with 52, up from 39. Sleepy Staten Island has seen 7 murders so far, a slight uptick from the 4 reported this time last year. In Queens, however, there have only been 36 reported murders this year, down from 42. So, uh, go Queens?

Seriously, while this rise in the murder rate doesn't strike as something to be too concerned about (major crime is still declining and we are, after all, the safest big city the country) let's try not to make a habit of this, m'kay?

Detail from Crime Scene by davidfg via Contribute.