ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York authorities are reporting a 5.2 percent drop in serious crimes statewide last year, despite many more reported rapes based on a new definition that now includes crimes previously reported as sex abuse.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services report shows murders declined 1.3 percent to 610 last year.
It shows robberies down almost 1 percent to 23,801 and aggravated assaults down nearly 2 percent from a year earlier to 44,322.
The data show property crimes, including burglary, larceny and vehicle theft, were down 7 percent.
For rapes, the division last year adopted a broader definition, used by the FBI starting in 2012, that raised total reports in the category to 6,078 last year, compared with 2,537 the year before.
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