During a recent press briefing, Mayor Eric Adams, along with NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, revealed that crime rates and shooting incidents encountered a noticeable plummet across the city in 2024. These findings reflect the pattern observed on Staten Island, which set a record for the minimal amount of shooting incidents last year.
Citywide, a downturn was seen in five out of the seven major crime indices. This yielded 3,662 fewer reported cases in 2024 in contrast to the previous year. Setting these numbers against the backdrop of those from 2023, it could be said that there was a 3% reduction in these crimes.
The focal categories of crime for these statistics were murder, rape, burglary, robbery, grand larceny auto, felony assault, and grand larceny. As a consequence of this decline, countless residents were spared from becoming victims of violence, abuse, attacks, or criminal targeting. Notably, the decrease in gun-related violence and shooting victims was underscored for the third successive year across the city.
Statistics from 2024 indicate that close to 6,100 guns were extracted from the streets. Throughout his time as mayor, authorities under Adams have seized about 20,000 unlawful firearms according to official data. Consequently, the city experienced one of its lowest annual incidences of gun-related cases in the era of CompStat data.
Remarkably, in 2024, shootings in Staten Island hit an all-time low according to NYPD records. Records up until December 29 showed fifteen victims of shooting incidents on the island, indicating a reduction of more than 40% compared to last year’s figures of gun violence.
These figures mark the smallest ever yearly aggregate for Staten Island in the history of NYPD’s CompStat records. The innovative system for crime tracking was first introduced by the Police Department over three decades ago, in 1994.
Alongside this decrease, instances of rape underwent an upward creep across the city. The definition of what constitutes rape in New York was broadened in September 2024, to include various types of nonconsensual sexual behavior. Of all the reported rape cases in the city, domestic-violence accounted for half of such instances.
Staten Island witnessed a surge in reported rape cases by 19 incidents, indicating a 45% increase until December 29, compared to data from 2023. In a move to counter this trend, there’s been an increase in the number of officers assigned to the Special Victims’ Unit.
In the future, the law enforcement body intends to leverage the data at their disposal to pinpoint areas with high crime rates to ensure they focus efforts on reducing transgressions there. It was observed that criminal activities reduced in areas where a more substantial police presence had been placed.
Perception, it seems, trumps reality. The Commissioner’s detailed account of specific incidents the past few days could sway the average New Yorker into thinking they are living in a tumultuous city. While not the actual state of affairs, we acknowledge that we have performed well in combating crime, as the figures illustrate, but we must address the prevalent perception many city dwellers possess.