NEWARK -- When the clock struck midnight on April 1, Newark reached a milestone: its first homicide-free calendar month in 44 years. While police and city officials say that’s a solid benchmark, they say there’s more work to do.
"I just think its amazing. Four consecutive weeks without a murder, " Police Director Garry McCarthy said. "The program strategies and policies are working and we’re going to stick with them, but the goal is zero (homicides).
"It’s going to take us a while to get to zero, but right now these are big changes," he said.
McCarthy credited large-scale sweeps at some of the city’s most notorious drug strongholds — in one case nearly 150 arrests during a six-month operation — as well as increased police presence on city streets at night with helping keep the city without a homicide from Feb. 28 through tonight.
Previous coverage:
• Newark records first homicide-free month in more than 40 years
• Irvington man is Newark's first homicide victim in 43 days
•Pa. man shot to death in Newark is first homicide of year
City officials also said community safety caravans as well as the installation of the ShotSpotters gunshot detection system and surveillance cameras in high-crime neighborhoods has helped.
The last time a calendar month passed without a homicide in the state’s largest city was May 1966. McCarthy said his goal is to keep the streak going as long as possible. In 2008, the city went 43 days in March and April without a homicide, the longest span since 1961.
"The reason this is happening is because of the takedown at (Garden) Spires, the reason why it’s happening is because of the takedown at Stephen Crane, Pennington Court," McCarthy said, referring to several housing projects known as havens for drug dealers. "Step by step, there’s a systematic clean-up of all these traditional locations ...We’re attacking and holding on to those locations."
There have been 10 homicides in Newark during the first three months of the year, matching the total for the same period a year ago. That’s the second-lowest first-quarter total since 1941, police said.
Since taking over the Newark Police Department in 2006, McCarthy’s approach to reducing the city’s homicide rate has been simple — fewer shootings will result in fewer deaths. That strategy appears to have held true in March, with only eight reported shootings. In March 2009, there were 11 shootings, resulting in three homicides, according to police records.
McCarthy said the arrest of 149 suspected drug dealers at the Garden Spires apartments during a six-month undercover operation may have helped stifle the homicide rate by preventing narcotics disputes that often turn deadly.
"That group of drug dealers was responsible for an inordinate amount of violence," he said. "This drug gang was involved in violent acts in a lot of other places too, not just Garden Spires."
Overall, Newark’s crime rate has dropped 13 percent compared to the first-quarter of 2009, with shootings, aggravated assaults, robberies and carjackings all lower than a year ago, police said.
"We have made major strides in reducing crime in Newark and providing our residents with a safer, stronger, and prouder community," Mayor Cory Booker said today. "This has been the result of new alliances, 21st-century technology, innovative approaches to protecting our city, groundbreaking efforts to prevent recidivism, the support of our residents, and the courage and valor manifested by Newark’s police officers."
By James Queally/Star-Ledger Staff and Sharon Adarlo/The Star-Ledger
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