FBI's 30th Most Dangerous City: Rochester, New York

Rochester has long had a reputation as being one of the more dangerous cities in the state of New York. Crime has been on the rise and citizens have been demanding changes.

On Monday, November 19, 2007, the FBI released a list of the most dangerous cities. Rochester, NY ranked 30th on the list, which is not surprising, considering the fact that there were three homicides within twenty-four hours over the weekend, which were reported on by News 10 NBC.

It is hard to fathom that such a violent crime-spree could have taken place, considering the zero-tolerance policy that was implemented by Mayor Bob Duffy and Police Chief David Moore. Extra policemen are on patrol for longer shifts. Their presence is required every day, regardless of holiday. It's very expensive, running an average of $50,000 a day, but Mayor Duffy is willing to sacrifice other areas of the city budget in order to maintain his program.

Also, Mayor Duffy has requested another restructuring of the police department. Before resigning his post as the Chief of Police in order to run for mayor, Duffy changed the neighborhood-based system to an east-west system. Some people have been questioning this decision, especially in light of an upswing in violence over the last few years. No word yet as to what his specific requested changes are.

Living in the city, I can say that I have noticed extra patrols driving around at night, and it has seemed much calmer in my own neighborhood. But if zero-tolerance is working so well, why do we continue to have days such as last weekend?