NEW YORK CITY–Shootings in New York City are at an all time low, and crimes are falling across the board, according to the latest official statistics.
According to the data, released on April 3, during the first three months of this year, the city also had the second-fewest murders in any quarter since it began to keep records.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said: “The crime and violence reductions we’re seeing right now in New York City are historic.”
“Shootings are down in every borough, and they were down 23 percent compared to last year,” she told reporters at a press conference.
The commissioner gave a broader look at crime in the boroughs compared with the previous year: “For the first three months of this year, overall, major crime is down 11 percent citywide, and it’s down in every borough, led by Brooklyn and Queens at more than 15 percent, Staten Island at 14 percent, Manhattan at nearly 9 percent, and the Bronx now down more than 4 percent. Major crime is also down more than 18 percent in transit and more than 11 percent in housing.”
Crime is down in hotspots like Roosevelt Avenue and 125th Street in Manhattan, 37 and 38 percent respectively.
Major crime in the subway is down by 18 percent, and no murders took place on the subway this quarter. Tisch credited this to the collaborative effort between the NYPD and the mayor in the Transit Safety Plan, which deployed thousands of officers across the subterranean system.
New York City Mayor Eric Adam credited the overall drop in crimes to his own “safety first” promise of the 2021 mayoral election.
“I’ve coined the phrase the prerequisite to our prosperity is public safety injustice. We have to be safe,” Adams said at the press conference. “Safety is the economic stimulus package that you build an entire city on and that is why you’re seeing because the city continues to be the safest big city in America you’re seeing our jobs return [and] our businesses are returned.”
Adams also pointed to other statistics that show an 8 percent drop in retail theft compared with last year, and a 34.4 percent decline in murder. He also noted that six of the seven major crime categories decreased within the month of March, including murder, which was down 51 percent, and robbery, which was down by 19 percent.
The one major crime statistic that defied the trend of receding crime was rape. On this, Tisch said: “Rape was the one index category that was up for the first quarter, increasing by 21 percent. Among the reasons for this are, first, in September 2024, there were changes to the law that rightfully redefined and broadened what constitutes rape in New York State. Second, these crimes have been under-reported for years.”
The deployment of thousands of officers to the subway and other places has increased officer overtime greatly. Adams said: “Everybody is talking about overtime, overtime, overtime. The commissioner has put in place a clear overtime management system. She’s clear on that. But we’re not going to cut pennies to save lives.”
“We’re seeing and witnessing an 8 percent drop [in retail theft from] year to date. And so when I go over the numbers this quarter, we have a 34.4 percent decline in murder, 23 percent decrease in shooting, and six of the seven major crime categories decreased in March, including murder, which was down 51 percent and robbery by 19 percent.”
