Cross Country
More Cops on the Big Apple's Streets
Pointing to a web of evidence, New York authorities charged bouncer Darryl Littlejohn last week with the gruesome slaying of a graduate student that had intrigued the city for weeks. But as sensational as the murder of Imette St. Guillen was, the homicide rate in New York remains historically low, with fewer than 600 cases in each of the past four years. And crime overall in Gotham has fallen nearly 25 percent since 2001, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So it came as something of a surprise when Bloomberg announced that the nation's largest police department will add 800 officers to its force of about 37,000. The increase is driven by demographics: Officials estimate the city's population has grown by 125,000 since 2001 and is expected to increase by 200,000 more in the next five years.
Air Traffic Static With an Island Beat
For the past month, pilots leaving Miami International Aiport have gotten an earful of hip-hop, reggae, and Caribbean vibes. Every so often, music from a pirate radio station known as Da Streetz overtakes the frequency used by air traffic control, forcing controllers and pilots to a different frequency. Authorities tracked the transmission to a warehouse, but by the time they arrived, the transmitter was gone. Late last week, Florida officials had a suspect but had made no arrests. In the past decade, authorities have investigated 30 radio stations operating without a license. And the state Legislature recently passed a law making it a felony to run a pirate station.
With Silla Brush, wire reports, Alex Kingsbury and Kenneth Terrell
advertisement
