Murder Rate Down 24.7% So Far in ’98

The murder rate in New York City in the first six months of this year continued to plummet to levels not seen since 1966, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said. The 286 murders showed a 24.7% drop from the same period of a year ago and was ahead of the 10% drop in the overall crime rate in the first six months of the year, he said. In 1966, there were 275 murders midway through the year. Giuliani credited a growing economy, saying the city has not experienced such strong job growth since 1951 as well as a more aggressive police department that has taken the streets back from drug dealers.