Philadelphia Police Commissioner Examines 2013 Crime Statistics
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says his force is making good progress combating violent crime but more work needs to be done.
In a comparison of statistics from 2013 and 2007, just before the Nutter Administration took over, Ramsey says violent crime has dropped across the board with the exception of rape.
However he says the definition of rape has been broadened.
"If we had applied the old definition to those cases then we'd be showing about a 10 percent decrease compared to 2007."
Ramsey says his department is strategically attacking crime based on data and trends and focusing on hot spots throughout the city.
Murders are down 36% since Ramsey took over.
Robberies are down 26% and aggravated assault is down 17%.
Still the commissioner says, he's not gloating.
"This isn't standing on the bridge of a ship with a mission accomplished banner behind me here," Ramsey says, "this is simply acknowledging that we're making a dent, we're making some progress but there's a lot more progress to be made."
