New York Criminal Records May Shock You

New York is not the largest of the fifty states, but New York City is the biggest city in America. Known as the Big Apple, New York City is the most densely populated city in the United States. Over eight millions people reside there. Approximately 40% of the state's population occupies the under 305 square miles of New York City. New York City is made up of five boroughs - The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is located in a different county, but they are all part of what is known as New York City, or the city that never sleeps. When immigrants entered the United States, they came in through Ellis Island, which is situated in New York Harbor, in both New York and New Jersey. Many remained in New York City and started or raised their families there. The city is still a common entry point for immigrants, making New York City the most diverse city in America, as well as the most populous. Approximately 36% of the city's residents were born outside of the United States. According to the 2005 census, Puerto Ricans, Italians, West Indians, Dominicans, and Chinese were the city's five largest ethnic groups. The city has the largest African American community in the United States and the largest Jewish community in the world. With such diversity, and with so many people living in the city, you would think that the crime rate would be very high, but New York criminal records may shock you.

Of course, hate crimes occur in the city. These are violent crimes against people because of their race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Gang violence and organized crime also exist. However, New York criminal records have decreased steadily over the past twelve years. In 2005, New York City's murder rate was lower than it had been since 1963. Since 2005, New York City has had the lowest crime rate among the twenty-five largest cities in the United States.

Although the state of New York ranks twenty-seventh in area, it ranks third in population. This is largely due to the population of New York City. Other major cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse, Albany, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Schenectady, and Utica. Most of these cities have higher crime rates than New York City. Although more crimes are committed in New York City, based on the population of the cities and the formula that is used to determine crime rate, the smaller cities have higher crime rates. Crime rate is determined by dividing the number of crimes reported by the population multiplied by 1000,000. A great way to compare crime rates of U.S. cities is to visit the various websites that compare crime statistics. You can compare the crime rates of over 8000 cities in the United States and see how they identify with the national average. You can also see how many actual crimes were committed in the two cities that you are comparing. The crime rate for the state of New York is more than thirty percent lower than the national average. Although violent crimes are six percent higher than the national average, property crimes are thirty-seven percent lower than those of the rest of the nation. Criminologists attribute the drop in New York criminal records to the tactics that police have adopted. Sociologists think that the reduction in crime is due to other factors such as improved economic conditions and the end of the crack cocaine epidemic.