<P> HHC's facilities annually provide millions of New Yorkers services interpreted in more than 190 languages . The most well - known hospital in the HHC system is Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the United States . Bellevue is the designated hospital for treatment of the President of the United States and other world leaders if they become sick or injured while in New York City . The president of HHC is Ramanathan Raju, MD, a surgeon and former CEO of the Cook County health system in Illinois . In August 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation outlawing pharmacies from selling cigarettes once their existing licenses to do so expired, beginning in 2018 . </P> <P> The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has been the largest police force in the United States by a significant margin, with over 35,000 sworn officers . Members of the NYPD are frequently referred to by politicians, the media, and their own police cars by the nickname, New York's Finest . </P> <P> Crime has continued an overall downward trend in New York City since the 1990s . In 2012, the NYPD came under scrutiny for its use of a stop - and - frisk program, which has undergone several policy revisions since then . In 2014, New York City had the third lowest murder rate among the largest U.S. cities, having become significantly safer after a spike in crime in the 1970s through 1990s . Violent crime in New York City decreased more than 75% from 1993 to 2005, and continued decreasing during periods when the nation as a whole saw increases . By 2002, New York City's crime rate was similar to that of Provo, Utah, and was ranked 197th in crime among the 216 U.S. cities with populations greater than 100,000 . In 2005, the homicide rate was at its lowest level since 1966, and in 2007, the city recorded fewer than 500 homicides for the first time ever since crime statistics were first published in 1963 . In 2015, 50.5% of New York City misdemeanor assault suspects were black, 33.3% Hispanic, 11.1% white, 4.8% Asian / Pacific Islander and 0.3% Native American . New York City experienced 352 homicides in 2015, its second lowest number on record . In 2016 the murder rate fell to 3.9 per 100,000 residents,, significantly below the US average of 5.3, and was projected to drop significantly in 2017 . </P> <P> Sociologists and criminologists have not reached consensus on the explanation for the dramatic decrease in the city's crime rate . Some attribute the phenomenon to new tactics used by the NYPD, including its use of CompStat and the broken windows theory . Others cite the end of the crack epidemic and demographic changes, including from immigration . Another theory is that widespread exposure to lead pollution from automobile exhaust, which can lower intelligence and increase aggression levels, incited the initial crime wave in the mid-20th century, most acutely affecting heavily trafficked cities like New York . A strong correlation was found demonstrating that violent crime rates in New York and other big cities began to fall after lead was removed from American gasoline in the 1970s . Another theory cited to explain New York City's falling homicide rate is the inverse correlation between the number of murders and the increasingly wetter climate in the city . </P>

Why new york is the capital of the world