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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - New Rochelle retained its ranking as one of the five safest cities among cities its size nationally in 2010, according to the 2011 Annual Report released by the New Rochelle Police Department Monday.
The city was the fifth-safest city nationwide out of 60 cities with comparable populations, making this the 11th consecutive year of it being one of the five safest. The Queen City of the Sound also has the lowest crime rate among similar municipalities in Westchester County and New York according to the report.
Despite the small jump in numbers, we remain in a period of relatively low crime rates, said New Rochelle Police Department Commissioner Patrick Carroll. We are not happy with any increase, though, and will continue to strive to keep our numbers as low as possible.
Carroll also mentioned that although the percent change from 2010 shows increase in most categories, the city crime rate remains historically low when compared to figures in the past decade.
Carroll also said the spike in aggravated assaults - a 279 percent increase - largely was due to a reclassification on how aggravated assaults are categorized, now allowing for multiple charges within a singular incident. Total arrests were up 5 percent last year (2011).
The department also responded to 55,000 calls for service, implemented GPS for enhanced deployment of police resources, initiated the use of fixed license plate readers.
The department also received the International Chiefs of Police/Cisco Community Policing Award last year.
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