Shootings in New York fall by a quarter as the wave of violence subsides

New York City shootings fell about 25 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, continuing a downward trend following a spike in violent crime during the pandemic.

The sharp decline, which mirrored similar declines in the United States, came amid widespread crime fears in the city, which officials blame for keeping workers and suburbs cooped up in their homes.

At a briefing on Thursday, Edward Caban, the acting police commissioner, said shootings had fallen for 13 consecutive weeks. The numbers were released at the beginning of the summer, when violence has historically risen, but he said he was “confident” the department’s positive trend would continue into the summer.

“It’s no coincidence,” said Mr. Caban. “From the beginning of this administration, we have made the fight against gun violence our top priority.”

Through Sunday, there were fewer reports of five of the seven offenses that police consider serious crimes, while two increased. show data. Murders, rapes, and burglaries fell about 10 percent each; the number of robberies dropped by almost 5 percent. But car thefts rose 18 percent and crimes rose 6 percent.

Crime data is a “roller coaster,” said Jeffrey A. Fagan, a professor at Columbia Law School. Causality, he said, is “almost impossible to prove,” although police departments often take credit.

“Crime is rising, crime is falling, people are alarmed and police are changing tactics,” he said. “Whatever changes they’ve made, they can’t seem to break this cycle.”

“What they’re observing in New York is happening across the country,” said Mr. Fagan.

As the 2020 pandemic swept the country, closing businesses and schools and locking people into their homes, violent crimes increased.

In New York, residents worried that the city was slipping back into a violent past after years of sustained crime declines. The dip in subway passenger numbers and several violent crimes on the subways also led some New Yorkers to fear for their safety underground.

Early last year, as the pandemic eased and people began to pick up their routines, the city struggled to contain an increase in violence.

Mayor Eric Adams, whose term began in 2022, made reversing the trend, especially curbing gun violence, a central goal. Mr Adams appointed a “czar for gun violence”. He too extended job program And Saturday evening lightingwhich offers activities for children between the ages of 11 and 18.

But Mr Adams and the police’s crime-fighting approach has also drawn criticism.

Last year, the department announced an initiative designed to enforce what they called quality-of-life crime, focusing on things like public drinking, urinating, and disorderly groups. Critics said that the enforcement is a return to “broken windows” policing, the enforcement of minor offenses in an effort to prevent more serious crimes, which they say lead to harassment.

In June, a court-appointed observer found that anti-crime units, then headed by the former Commissioner, Keechant Sewell, were still stopping, searching and frisking too many people, despite assurances from Mr Adams that new policies and training would prevent problem. A report from The City found out this week that there was a 600 percent increase in car chases in the first three months of the year.

For David Caba, vice president at Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence, the drop in gun violence the department highlighted on Thursday reflects the work of community organizations like his.

Since the pandemic disruptions have subsided, his teams, which operate in six zones in the Bronx, have seen shootings and homicides drop, he said. The zones each consist of about 12 to 15 blocks that have experienced a lot of violence. One zone has lasted more than a year without a single shooting or killing, he said.

“Everyone is needed,” he said, adding, “It’s not just one entity coming in and providing a cure.”