Others point to an improved economy, community-policing initiatives or even the legalization of abortion, which reduced the number of poor, unwanted children growing up in high-risk neighborhoods.

The office oversees the Weed and Seed program, which works to reduce drug abuse, violent crime and gang activity in high-risk neighborhoods.

One of the services the grant will pay for is an unmarked van that will travel into areas identified as high-risk neighborhoods.

When I was on the force," said Dr. Grennan, "we created satellite stations in high-risk neighborhoods, from which a full team of officers operated.

The purpose of the study was to help police determine high-risk neighborhoods that suffer from high rates of homicide and gang-related violence.

The upper 30's have become a high-risk neighborhood.

One of Rosenfeld's points is that "in all cities, serious crime is disproportionately concentrated in a handful of high-risk neighborhoods.

But last week, questions about the agency's strategy arose when a new lead poisoning hazard, in the form of vinyl mini-blinds, erased the boundaries between high-risk and low-risk neighborhoods.

These prevention programs are aimed at children living in high-risk neighborhoods.

New York has worked to reduce hospitalizations for asthmatic children in high-risk neighborhoods, but the special needs of children without the stability of a home have been harder to address.