Newark's crime record appeared to be on the upswing a few years ago. March 2010 marked its first murder-free month in more than 40 years and shootings were down for three back-to-back years, falling 75% through 2009, Mayor Cory Booker told CNN in a televised interview.
But then budget constraints sparked by the recession forced the city to lay off one-sixth of its police force.
The rate of violent crime rose by more than 11% in 2011 compared with 2010. Street crimes spiked, with robberies up 23% and the city's robbery rate ranked third highest among the nation's cities.
