Newark police officials say overall crime was up six percent in 2011, with a total of 90 murders. That's four more than the year before.
Mayor Cory Booker says 2011 was "a tale of two years.''
Booker says an alarming spike in crime the first five months of 2011 was followed by some gains in reducing crime by year's end.
Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio says overall crime had spiked 16 percent, with a 56 percent increase in shootings, in the first five months of the year.
DeMaio says restructuring the police force, increasing the use of technology and more than doubling the amount of guns taken off the streets contributed to finishing the year flat for shootings and with a six percent increase in crime overall, compared to 2010.
Newark Crime Up in 2011, But Booker Finds Silver Lining
Overall crime had spiked 16 percent, with a 56 percent increase in shootings, in the first five months of the year.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
