How safe is Clinton Hill?

On Tuesday, 88th Precinct Captain Anthony Tasso gave a report on crime at the Community Council, according to The Local. The news was not good, or not so bad, depending upon your perspective.

To keep things in perspective, let's look at the amount of people in the 11205 zip code. According to Sperling's, there are 37,821 people as of 2010.

Now, let's look at the amount of crime. According to NYPD Compstat, the year-to-date crimes are 754 as of Sept. 19.

So, approximately 2 percent of the population has been affected by crime this year, or 756 people. Given this, 98 percent of the population has not been affected by crime. That's good.

However, the Captain announced that total crime was up 15.4 percent last month. That's not chump change. Two percent or even 5 percent would be slight, but 15 percent? Many of us relish 15 percent shopping discounts.

To keep things in perspective, we must consider that crime has been down for many years. According to the CompStat report, crime is down 73 percent from 17 years ago, 26 percent from nine years ago, and almost 6 percent from two years ago.

Now 15 percent doesn't look as bad. Yet, the figures are clearly going in the wrong direction.

The types of crimes are a consideration when keeping things in perspective, too. According to Captain Tasso, "The increase is not in robberies or street-level violence, but in grand larcenies, mostly involving credit cards and property stolen when bags or cars are unattended."

CompStat figures support his statement. Of this year's 754 crimes, there were four murders, six rapes, and 95 felonious assaults. The other 649 crimes were some kind of stealing.

The 88^th Precinct clearly has its eye on crime, but it's not only up to police. Let's do our part by keeping a better eye on our belongings.

Sources:

Brenden Beck, "88th Precinct Reports Slight Increase in Crime," The Local
Sperling's, "Best Places to Live in Brooklyn (zip 11205), New York"
Police Department City of New York, "CompStat"