According to new NYPD statistics, graffiti complaints in Brooklyn rose 96% last year, with arrests in the borough increasing by 33%. Citywide, complaints almost doubled from 4,886 in 2006 to 8,866 in 2007, and total arrests rose from 2,962 to 3,786. Williamsburg leads the tagging trend with a total of 186 complaints. “It's so expensive here, yet it looks like a dump,” long-time Williamsburg resident Mel Costello, 63, declared to the Daily News. “It's......

A man was shot after he stabbed two people on a Midtown street. Either an off-duty police officer or plainclothes law enforcement officer is believed to have shot the man. Here's a tip we received:I walked outside my building about an hour ago and saw tons of police activity. From what I hear a man went into Starbucks to obtain a knife unsuccessfully. Then went into another restaurant (not sure of the name) and......

Uhm, really? According to Police Chief Michael Collins "officers took prudent steps to handle what may have been a dangerous situation" on Thursday when eight officers jumped and arrested a balloon artist as he pulled his bike up to his normal place of business outside of the Central Park Zoo. His crime? Leaving an $850 rainbow striped electric air pump behind in a Starbucks. The cops said it looked like a bomb. It sounds......