MAYOR PALMIERI & POLICE CHIEF WILLIAMS ANNOUNCE MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN VIOLENT & OVERALL CRIME

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri and Police Chief Mark Williams today announced the statistics from the Mohawk Valley Crime Analysis Center showed a tremendous improvement in crime reduction in the City of Utica.

In 2017 there was double digit crime reduction in nearly every violent crime category compared to 2016. However, the best and most accurate statistic in determining trends of criminal activity is comparing current data to the five-year average for crime.

Due to the great work of the Utica Police Department and the strong relationships the City’s built with other law enforcement partners, there was a double-digit reduction in nearly every crime category when compared to the five-year average.

Specifically, the five-year average shows the following; Homicide- 38% reduction

Rape- 20% reduction

Robbery- 17% reduction Aggravated Assault- 7% reduction Burglary- 20% reduction

Larceny- 17% reduction

Motor Vehicle Theft- 27% reduction

As the crime analysis shows, not only did violent crime drop 16% compared to the five- year average, but property crime also dropped by 18%.

Mayor Palmieri stated, “The Utica Police Department is the best in New York State. We are an accredited agency that is proactive, but also believes in community policing and building bridges with our residents.

The Mayor continued, “I am very proud of the major crime reductions, and the credit goes to Chief Williams and his team for doing an outstanding job protecting and serving our community.”

Chief Williams stated, “The Utica Police Department takes a multi-faceted approach to tackling crime including working with Federal, State and local law enforcement on a number of initiates such as the GIVE grant. The Mohawk Valley Crime Analysis Center is a great tool we’ve utilized to build on information sharing and provide timely data to respond to crimes.

The Chief continued, “I commend all UPD personnel in making our community