by Richard Cohen

About the author: Richard Cohen is a columnist for the Washington Post.

The car was parked on East 84th, near the intersection with Park Avenue, and in the window was a sign that said, “No Radio.” At one time, such signs were common here—“No Radio,” “No Nothing,” “Everything Stolen”—but it had been a long time since I’d seen one. I crossed the street to get a better look. Ah, Virginia tags. I guess they hadn’t heard.

A Dramatic Decline in Crime

But how could they not? A wonderful thing has happened to New York. It has rolled back the years. In terms of murder, it’s 1968—the year I left for Washington—but it...