NEWARK -- Crime is down in the state's largest city by the largest amount in almost 50 years.

"We're not here today to claim victory, but we're here to claim progress," Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told reporters gathered at the Newark Police building on Washington Street. He was joined by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other city officials who gathered Tuesday to discuss year-to-date crime trends.

According to statistics presented by the department, the total number of homicides, shootings, robberies, and other violent crimes committed in the city so far this year are down, when compared to this time last year. The overall crime rate is the lowest it's been since 1967, officials said.

Of 9 crime categories tracked internally by the police department, only aggravated assaults show an increase over the past year, and Ambrose said the department had also seen an increase in domestic violence crimes.

"We've been able to drive the numbers down all the way up to Christmas Day," Baraka said, while acknowledging the city had a "rough year" with several high-profile homicides.

Authorities are still investigating the killing of Hassan Q. Cobb-Jones, 32, who was fatally shot Sunday in the 100 block of Parker Street.

Officials say the statistics show a promising trend that they hope will continue. Baraka and Ambrose credited the crime dips to changes in the police department over the past year.

Among other department initiatives, the officials pointed to the department's shooting response team, which they said responds to calls of "shots fired" as if they're known to be homicides.

The officials said assistance from the New Jersey State Police, Essex County Prosecutor's Office, the county Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman's Office was also a major factor. Ambrose also thanked the officers of the Newark police department, saying their work in the city has helped drive crime down.

"I would say some luck and prayer helped, too, to get these numbers where they're at," Ambrose said.

Ambrose, a former Essex County Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives, officially took over in Newark in January, as part of a restructuring of the department.

Since then, the department has also added more officers, reassigned many to street beats, partnered with citizen groups and clergy to promote community policing and relocated the internal affairs unit, among other moves touted by officials.

Ambrose said multiple classes of new police officers are expected to graduate in coming months, giving the department more boots on the ground.

The department has now just under 1,000 officers, he said.

Three years ago, Newark had the third highest murder rate in the nation, according to FBI statistics. Reform efforts hoping to revitalize the city have often staggered by violent crime rates.

Past statistics show fluctuating crime rates in Newark, but officials say they hope continuing changes to the department will work to keep the trends moving in a downward direction.

In a statement to NJ Advance Media, James Stewart Jr., the president of the Newark Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the FOP was pleased by the news.

"The reduction in crime is great news for the citizens of Newark, as well as the thousands of visitors we host every day," Stewart said.

"The men and women working on the streets have answered the director's call for more hours of work, which equates to more visibility, which means less opportunities for crime. We are looking forward to 2017 and possibly Newark's biggest recruit class ever, which we hope will mean even safer streets here in the city."

The crime report comes as Newark is under the watch of a federal monitor - the result of a scathing 2014 Department of Justice review that found rampant violations within the department.

Police and city officials Tuesday said such moves are welcomed by the city.

"We definitely believe in treating the community with strength and dignity," Police Chief Darnell Henry said.

Ambrose, responding to a question from a reporter, did say that a bail reform system set to take effect in 2017 could have a still-undetermined impact on the city's crime numbers.

Under the new system, high-risk defendants may be held without bail, while many others accused of minor crimes could be released without having to post bail.

"The small things become big things," Ambrose said, referencing alleged crimes that may not be serious to merit holding defendants under the new system. "We're going to have more people probably wanted on warrants."

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

EDITOR's NOTE: The second paragraph has been changed to correct the source of the quote.