NYC Crime Rate Increases

Crime in New York City increased tremendously as compared to the same period in 2019. Almost every single category of crime saw the respective numbers go up.

In 2019 there were 89 shooting incidents across New York City while this year there were 205 this year, representing a 130% increase. As shootings went up, other metrics of major index crime followed with 39 murders this year - 9 more than last year. Burglaries and auto theft went up as well with 1783 and 696 crimes respectively across the city in the month of June.

Facing massive budget cuts and other systemic changes to the nature of policing in New York City, the NYPD is re-evaluating how they conduct everyday police work. One way that this has manifest itself is by arresting 40,000 fewer persons this June as compared to last year. Another way that the department is reorganizing is through a shakeup of executive leadership at 1 Police Plaza. The most noteworthy of these changes is the installation of Jeffrey B. Maddrey as Chief of Community Affairs.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said, “The challenges are great for the NYPD facing the strain of deep budget cuts, changes to the criminal justice system that are impacting the courts and the continuing international health pandemic. But through it all, I have seen our hardworking men and women display an unwavering commitment to the kind of fair and effective policing that defines our agency and that New Yorkers expect and deserve.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “We have for now, seven years, fought back crime, lowered crime. We've done it working with communities and we've done it by addressing a whole range of problems and not laying them grow in our communities. Everything has been thrown off by the coronavirus. Let's be clear. People aren't going to work. People aren't going to school. Everything's been disrupted. And most notably our court system is not functioning and it has to, but the message is the same. We are going to fight crime wherever we find it. We fought back crime many a time before in the city successfully, there has to be consequences for folks who commit crime, particularly violent crime. We need the DAs to be more a part of that. We need the court system to work so we can ensure those consequences happen.”