In law enforcement, top brass are usually careful not to make too big a deal publicly about crime numbers.
That's because a commander who voices concern or frustration over a spike in crime might prompt the media to speculate that the situation is getting out of control.
But if he brags about a drop in crime, the thinking goes, he could set himself up for criticism when the pendulum swings the other way.
But Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and other authorities bucked that trend yesterday, when they gathered at Police Headquarters, 8th and Race streets, to declare Operation Pressure Point, a seven-month joint crime-fighting effort, a success.
Pressure Point saw police and members of 16 other law-enforcements agencies flood the city's 12 most violent districts every weekend, from April to November.
The all-out blitz netted 1,775 arrests and led to the seizure of $4.9 million worth of drugs, $285,428 in cash and 247 guns, police officials said.
About 500 bench warrants were served, 93 nuisance bars were closed and more than 13,000 pedestrians were stopped for investigations.
The collective push led to a 51 percent drop in murders, from 47 last year to 23, in the 12 targeted districts on weekends between April and November, police said.
Shootings fell 11 percent during that same period, from 208 to 186.
During a recent interview with the Daily News, Ramsey said that he thought Pressure Point had been "very, very successful, especially over such a long period of time."
He said he intends to revive Pressure Point next spring.
Violent crime across the city is down 8 percent compared with a year ago.
The overall number of murders stands at 283, compared with 301 at this time last year.
"We're in the business of pushing the envelope further," Ramsey added during the recent interview.
"We can still do better."
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