Hate Crimes Dramatically Decrease, NYPD Focuses on Controlling Gun Violence

By Yehudit Garmaise

    While the NYPD has been working unrelentingly to control the gun violence that has continued to increase this year in New York City, police officers have also seen that hate crime have dramatically decreased.

   When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, it unfortunately prompted a spike in hate crimes that were directed at people of Asian descent. The NYPD quickly responded by creating the Asian Hate Crime Task Force, in which police officers arrested 24 people who committed hate crimes. In addition, the Asian Hate Crime Task Force has helped the NYPD to complete the investigations of those hate crimes and close the cases of 16 of the 24 people who were arrested, whose cases are now in the hands of prosecutors. 

   “The year so far has presented significant public safety challenges with gun violence continuing to afflict New Yorkers across the city,” said the NYPD in a statement. “On gun violence, the NYPD’s unrelenting work to suppress it goes on. The data to date shows that our officers’ continued focus on making strong gun cases is increasingly taking hold.”