An amazing Crime statistic

New York had a phenomenal murder rate in 2007. From the NY Daily News:

NYPD's historic feat should quiet critics
New York City just ended 2007 with the lowest number of murders - below 500 - since 1963, the last year exact comparisons are possible. This homicide drop, from a high of 2,245 in 1990, is unmatched anywhere in the country or in the annals of policing. It is long past time for New Yorkers to acknowledge the debt that they owe to their police force.

But the significance of the city's crime drop extends beyond the metropolis. It overthrows decades of conventional wisdom about social control and behavior change.

The reason for the city's crime rout is clear: The NYPD combines superb management with massive manpower. Since the mid-1990s, when the city's crime rate started its free fall, top brass and precinct commanders have excelled in developing crime control innovations. Prime among them has been Compstat, the computer-aided analysis sessions that hold precinct commanders accountable for public safety in their jurisdictions. To his credit, Commissioner Raymond Kelly has maintained Compstat, which originated under rival Commissioner William Bratton in 1994.

The intense and focused Kelly has added innovations of his own. Operation Impact floods crime hot spots with rookie officers, who walk foot beats. The Real-Time Crime Center gets data on potential suspects and related crime patterns into the hands of detectives within minutes of a crime, allowing them to track down perps more quickly. Officers now visit domestic violence victims to check on their well-being, resulting in a 40% drop in domestic homicides over three years. And the Kelly-era NYPD has continued the nuts and bolts of effective policing - stop-and-frisks to get guns off the street and enforcement of quality-of-life laws - despite carping from the usual critics.

Nothing but good old fashioned police work - walking the beat, checking out 'persons of interest'. Get procedures like that in place and watch the crime rate go down...