Mineola, NY - Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi was joined by District Attorney Denis Dillon and Deputy Police Commissioner Robert Bishop in announcing that Forbes Magazine has reported Nassau County as the "Best Place" for public safety.

"Nassau County continues to have one of the lowest crime rates of any municipality with a population of our size," said County Executive Suozzi. "Thanks in part to the new crime-fighting technology in the NASS-STAT program, our police officers can better identify 'hot spots' throughout the county and develop a plan to solve the problem."

According to the May 24, 2004 issue of Forbes Magazine, Nassau County has the lowest crime rate for communities with a population of over 500,000 residents. With only 1,968 crimes per 100,000 residents, Nassau County is ranked well below the national average of 4,434.

Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon said, "The Forbes Magazine survey confirms that Nassau County has in recent years consistently maintained the lowest crime rate in the nation for a municipality with one million or more people. While this is due in part to favorable demographics, it is also the result of effective law enforcement. Specifically, it reflects our continued commitment to delivering swift and certain punishment for crime, as demonstrated by our felony conviction rate of almost 99 percent."

NASS-STAT, implemented in March 2002 and is modeled after similar programs in New York City and Boston, is a management philosophy that provides for better accountability in all the police precincts throughout the county. Using current crime and police data analyzed at the precinct level, precinct commanders can identify priorities within the community and develop solutions to remedy a particular situation.