The New York City Police Department (NYPD) released the city’s 2024 crime statistics on Monday, January 6th. The data showed that the overall crime rate in New York City decreased by 3% compared to the previous year. It was also noted that a small percentage of repeat offenders were responsible for the majority of major crimes. In an effort to enhance safety for New Yorkers using the subway, Police Commissioner Jesica Ticsh announced the deployment of an additional 200 police officers starting from Tuesday.
Ticsh explained that the 3% reduction equated to over 3600 fewer crimes reported, marking the third consecutive year of declining crime rates in New York City according to police statistics. Particularly noteworthy was the significant 15.5% year-on-year drop in crime rates in December last year, representing the largest monthly decrease since February 2021.
The NYPD’s statistics indicated substantial decreases in various categories of crime such as murder, robbery, theft, grand larceny, and motor vehicle theft, while crimes like felony assault and rape saw slight increases during the same period.
Despite the modest 3% decrease in the overall crime rate in New York City last year, officials acknowledged that high-profile crimes had led some residents to still feel unsafe, especially within the subway system. As a response, Ticsh planned to immediately deploy 200 police officers within the subway trains and platforms.
Ticsh believed that assigning more officers to platforms and trains would yield different outcomes. She stressed, “This is where most of our officers need to be stationed, not on the platforms, not at the entrances. This is not to say we won’t deploy officers in hallways and entrances, but we need to allocate officers to where crimes occur.”
Mayor Adams also attended the press conference where the crime statistics were disclosed. Pointing to a chart, he highlighted that a small percentage of individuals in New York City were repeat offenders. “This is what we’re talking about, the recidivism,” Adams said. “We need to focus on studying those repeat offenders who have committed three or more crimes within a year, yet haven’t faced charges.”
According to the NYPD’s data, repeat offenders accounted for over 60% of the increase in crimes across the six major crime categories. Ticsh pointed out that the existence of repeat offenders was a consequence of New York State’s cashless bail reform.
“The key driving factor is the ‘revolving door’ of our criminal justice system, largely brought about by legislative changes that took effect in 2020,” Ticsh explained. “Last month, a career criminal who had been arrested 17 times carried out a brazen robbery with a gun, injuring a police officer and an innocent bystander. This person was repeatedly released, indicating a clear failure of our system in keeping repeat offenders off the streets.”
Adams admitted that he understood the lack of safety felt by New Yorkers. “When you see some of the horrific incidents the Commissioner mentioned and recent events in the past few days, the average New Yorker might believe they live in an out-of-control city, but that’s not the reality,” Adams stated. “As the numbers show, we are doing well in combating crime, but we must address the perceptions of many New Yorkers.”
Adams reiterated his commitment made during his mayoral campaign to improve public safety for New Yorkers. He stated that the data demonstrated that he had delivered on his promise, but further efforts were required. “We aim not only to make New York City the safest major city in America but also the safest among all cities,” he emphasized.
Adams expressed optimism regarding the new Police Commissioner and her management team. “With the right leadership, the right commitments, we can achieve this,” he said. “Now we call on all facets of the criminal justice system to join us in ensuring the safety of New York.”