(10/18/06) NEWARK ? Newark Mayor Corey Booker reflected on his first 100 days in office Wednesday, touting a reduction in crime as one of his early achievements.

During a speech at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Booker commented on a 20-page FBI Uniform Crime Report. The document states certain crimes in the city have been reduced by double-digit figures. The report claims murder, rapes and robberies declined 6.6 percent in July, 22 percent in August and 20 percent in September compared to numbers from one year ago.

Booker credits the cooperative efforts of several police departments with the drop in crime. He says several agencies are communicating with each other and working together to make the streets safer. Despite the early success, Booker says there?s more work to do. The mayor also believes his faith-based initiatives have played a part in the lower crime statistics.