DNAinfo.com Releases New Crime & Safety Report That Ranks the Safest Neighborhoods in NYC

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- How safe are New York City neighborhoods? DNAinfo.com, New York's leading online neighborhood news source, has released an interactive Crime & Safety Report ranking the safety of every neighborhood in the five boroughs. This unprecedented analysis of data from the NYPD and U.S. Census Bureau reveals startling results, including an increase in murder, rape, and robbery rates for the first time in decades. The groundbreaking report combines the best of in-depth journalism with digital technology to illustrate crime rates in New York City's neighborhoods in brand new ways.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110907/NY63499 )

"A comprehensive study of this magnitude would not be possible in print," said veteran New York City crime reporter Murray Weiss. "The digital nature of the report allows for detailed heat maps of various crimes and customized, on-the-fly neighborhood comparisons. DNAinfo.com has set the new standard in crime reporting with this report. I've never seen such an innovative and analytical approach to crime reporting in New York City."

Key findings from the Crime & Safety Report include:

• Downtown experiences resurgence, but high crime:  Though Downtown is fast becoming a 24-hour neighborhood ten years after 9/11 with new condos and restaurants, it has one of the city's highest per capita crime rates for thefts and burglaries.

• Increased property values do not correlate to lower crime levels:  Popular neighborhoods such as Park Slope, Greenwich Village, and Downtown are actually less safe than other more affordable neighborhoods.

• Murders, rapes, robberies on the rise:  Rape and murder increased in over 50% of NYC neighborhoods last year. From 2009 to 2010, murders increased in NYC for the first time in decades, by 13.8%.  Rapes spiked by 13.9%, and robberies climbed by 4.5%.

• Midtown Manhattan, Greenwich Village have NYC's highest crime rates: Though not typically associated with crime, Midtown Manhattan ranked the city's least safe neighborhood due to a jump in rapes and felony assaults.  Greenwich Village and the Meatpacking district ranked next to last, due to high property crime.

• Turnaround neighborhoods:  Once known as the nation's murder capital, Washington Heights and neighboring Inwood now rank as the 3rd and 4th safest neighborhoods in Manhattan, behind only the Upper East and Upper West sides.  Inwood crime has dropped by 83% since 1993.

"DNAinfo.com set out to achieve something that had never been done before: create a user-friendly resource for all New Yorkers to objectively show how safe a neighborhood is across a broad spectrum of crime categories," said Leela de Kretser, DNAinfo.com's publisher and editorial director. "New Yorkers now have a tool that offers tangible analysis on neighborhood crime; they now have a reliable resource to help them decide where to live, where to park, and where to send their kids to school."  

For more information and to read the full report, visit www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report.

To review the full list of neighborhood rankings, visit: www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report/ranking.

Report Contents/Methodology:

• Rankings based on per capita crime rate (NYPD CompStat data divided by the official 2010 U.S. Census population figures)
• Interactive Data Explorer™ provides comprehensive, digestible insights into crime levels
• Neighborhood Comparison Tool offers systematic side-by-side viewing and analysis
• Interactive Timeline showcases infamous crimes throughout NYC history
• Featured coverage from award-winning investigative journalists Murray Weiss and Jon Schuppe  
• Indexed crimes: murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft

About DNAinfo.com

DNAinfo.com (www.dnainfo.com) is New York's leading neighborhood news source, covering Manhattan's neighborhoods. We deliver up-to-the-minute reports on entertainment, education, politics, crime, sports, and dining. Our award-winning journalists find the stories – big or small – that matter most to New Yorkers. The inspiration, funding, and strategic vision for DNAinfo.com come from entrepreneur and Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts.

SOURCE DNAinfo.com