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Report: New Rochelle Among Safest Cities In The Country

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - New Rochelle remains one of the safest cities in the country, according to the 2014 Police Department annual report that was released on Thursday.

The New Rochelle Police Department is reporting the best crime statistics since 1960.

The New Rochelle Police Department is reporting the best crime statistics since 1960.

Photo Credit: NRPD

According to the report, New Rochelle was ranked 11th overall – in the top 10 percent – among cities with a population between 75,000 and 100,000. The department posted the lowest amount of violent and property (Part 1) crimes in more than five decades.

New Rochelle remains the safest city of similar size in the state, and is the only municipality in the county to crack the top 60.

In all, officers responded to nearly 50,000 service calls, with a notable decrease in auto thefts (33 percent), robberies (10 percent) larcenies (6 percent) and burglaries (5 percent). The department made 1,772 arrests in 2014, up from 1,491 (19 percent) the year before.

In 2014, the department drastically stepped up its drug and alcohol enforcement. There were 151 more drug arrests for controlled substances and marijuana, and driving while intoxicated arrests went up 67 percent.

The department has also made strides in utilizing increased technology to help nab their suspects. In the past year, they’ve installed nearly 50 surveillance cameras at 37 locations throughout the city that have proven invaluable to police.

“New Rochelle is one of the safest cities of its size in America,” Mayor Noam Bramson said about the cameras. “This is due in no small part to our brothers in blue, who we could never replace, but these cameras can help investigate and solve crimes.”

New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll noted that his department is reaching historic numbers as they continue to keep the city safe from crime.

“These are the lowest figures we’ve seen in over five decades, since 1960,” he said in a statement. “I commend the fine men and women of the department, and we will continue to work hard to keep these numbers down.”

The complete 33-page report can be read online.

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