New York City is set to report its lowest murder total in decades, even with the deadly Halloween truck terror attack that killed eight and was the worst since 9/11.
The NYPD released statistics shows that homicide drop was parallel to the decrease in major crimes over 2016, into 2017.
NYPD records show that as of December 17, there was 278 homicides for the entire year. This figure is a 14.5 per cent drop than that of last year, with 325 homicides.
The NYPD released statistics shows that homicide drop was parallel to the decrease in major crimes over 2016, into 2017
According to CNN, the number once was a staggering 2,000 killings in the 1990s.
Data also show that there is a 10 per cent drop in robberies and felony assaults, burglaries and auto theft cases also saw a decrease this year.
‘We’ve seen the lowest number of index crimes here since the ’50s,’ police Commissioner James O’Neill said at a recent news conference.
‘We’ve seen the lowest number of index crimes here since the ’50s,’ police Commissioner James O’Neill said at a recent news conference
‘With informed, engaged and empowered communities, we’re going to keep pushing those numbers down even further.’
According to Detective Sophia Mason, NYPD officers fired their weapons 23 times up until December 17. In 2016, the number was 37 times.
The NYPD started using the neighborhood policing method which both O’Neill and Mayor Bill de Blasio credit for the decrease in crime.
‘We are giving our cops the opportunity to make relationships and build on those relationships,’ O’Neill added earlier this month.
‘Nobody knows what’s going on better on a block than the people that live there, the people that worship there, the people that work there.’
NYPD records show that as of December 17, there was 278 homicides for the entire year, a 14.5 per cent drop than that of last year, with 325 homicides
The Commissioner added that under the model, each precinct receives two ‘neighborhood coordination officers’ who delegate task to 12 ‘sector’ officers.
With neighborhood policing, officers remain in one specific area and establish relationships with the communities that they serve.
O’Neill said: ‘We’re giving them back the ability to make decisions. No one knows better than the people patrolling those sectors and the people that live there what’s actually happening.’
He added that each participating precinct is divided along neighborhood lines.
The NYPD started using the neighborhood policing method which both O’Neill and Mayor Bill de Blasio credit for the decrease in crime
51 out of 77 precincts have implemented the model since 2015 and all have reported a reduction in crime, O’Neill said. He hopes to have all of them doing the model by next year.
‘My vision is to fully implement neighborhood policing, and that’s to give our police officers the opportunity, the training, and the time to communicate, establish relationships, work together to identify problems, and work together to solve problems,’ O’Neill added.
In addition to the neighborhood policing model, O’Neill stated that efforts to curb gang violence have aided in the decrease in crime as well.
‘We’re also continuing to target gangs and crews who commit the majority of the violence in New York City,’ O’Neill added.
‘I think that, in conjunction with neighborhood policing, that’s why you’re seeing the crime numbers go down.’
Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, claimed that technology has helped with making it easier for police to identity and target different gang members. The volunteer safety patrol organization that he runs is a separate entity from the NYPD
Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, claimed that technology has helped with making it easier for police to identity and target different gang members. The volunteer safety patrol organization that he runs is a separate entity from the NYPD.
‘Nowadays, as a gang task force member, I can sit in an office, and all I have to do is look at social networking,’ Sliwa said.
‘The gangs are their own worst enemy. They post everything.’
While Sliwa credits the NYPD for making the city safer, he still feels like women are at a greater risk of sexual assault and harassment due to subway perverts.
‘It’s because there are so many pervs who have sought sanctuary in the subway,’ Sliwa said.
The Guardian Angels began an all-female volunteer task force called Perv Busters that patrol subways and make citizen arrest when need be
‘Now our focus because of the problems of assaults against women is on the subways. It’s become a sort of perv heaven.’
The Guardian Angels began an all-female volunteer task force called Perv Busters that patrol subways and make citizen arrest when need be.
O’Neill shared that with each claim, there has to be a thorough investigation that takes place.
He added: ‘It’s important that each rape, no matter what the classification is, is fully investigated, and it’s something that we have to constantly, when we put people into Special Victims, we have to make sure we select people that are right for that job. So, that’s an ongoing process.’