New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a Big Apple murder wave on his hands in 2020.
The 2020 Mayor’s Management Report released Thursday paints a grim picture for the city on various categories of crime, which comes months after massive cuts to the New York City Police Department and a surge in retirement filings by officers.
“New Yorkers of all walks of life are showing great grit and courage in our common fight against COVID-19, and we are laser-focused on keeping our city safe, healthy and running,” Mr. De Blasio says in the 433-page report.
A sampling of the crime statistics:
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter in fiscal year 2019 at 352, compared with 278 in fiscal year 2019
Gang-motivated incidents in fiscal year 2019 at 750, compared with 495 in fiscal year 2019
Burglary at 13,229 in fiscal year 2020, compared with 11,053 in fiscal year 2019
Robbery at 13,438 in fiscal year 2019, compared with 12,556 in fiscal year 2019
Crime related to domestic violence — murder at 64, compared with 54 in fiscal year 2019
“During Fiscal 2020, overall major felony crime slightly increased by one percent compared to Fiscal 2019,” the report states. “Murder increased 27 percent, burglary increased by 20 percent and grand larceny of autos increased 30 percent. Forcible rape decreased by 17 percent and grand larcenies decreased by eight percent compared to Fiscal 2019. … The number of gang-motivated incidents increased 52 percent in the Fiscal 2020 reporting period compared to the prior year. By expanding its precision policing capabilities, NYPD has improved its capacity to more accurately identify incidents as gang related. Narcotics arrests decreased 36.7 percent in Fiscal 2020, following several years of decline.”
Some statistics, such as a drop in felony crime at schools (288 in fiscal 2020 compared with 444 in fiscal 2019), are likely attributable to school closures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The data covers 77 patrol precincts that officers and detectives must cover while serving the city’s 8.6 million residents.
“The pandemic has changed our lives and our city, but — at our core — it has not changed us,” Mr. De Blasio asserts in the report. “We continue to build America’s fairest and safest big city — a spirit also embodied in every hard choice the virus has forced us to make.”
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