Overall Crime Continues to Drop in Rochester | News

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- New numbers out show crime in Rochester is going down, despite a growing population.

Something Police Chief Roger Peterson says the community should be proud of.

But there's more to crime than statistics.

"It's remarkable in the sense that the population has grown but the crime rate is better than 10 years ago," said Peterson.

Violent crime is down 14.5% in the past decade. That's according to the latest data released by the Rochester Police Department.

"The assaults are actually one that's gone down," said Peterson.

Peterson won't give all the credit to his department. He says its community organizations and neighborhood watch groups that are helping lower the crime rate.

Nora Dooley says statistics aren't the end-all. She's a member of Citizen Advisors For Public Safety, also known as CAPS, a grassroots effort that addresses community issues.

"I think perception trumps statistics so its important people feel safe...There definitely seems to be areas in the city that people think are dangerous," said Dooley.

While crime and perception cannot be changed overnight, both say organizations like CAPS and the police department must continue to work together to keep crime down.

"There will be more challenges," said Peterson.

The data shows in the past three years, the number of burglaries has gone up, but Peterson says crime fluctuates so its best to look at the overall picture.