NYPD is the largest police force in the country.
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Almost three weeks after taking office as mayor of the most populous city in the country, crime continues to challenge former police officer Eric Adams in the streets and the subway.
New statistics from the NYPD itself reveal that serious crime, including in the underground system, has increased in frigid January, though Adams has dismissed concerns about the incidents on the Subway, calling them a simple “perception of fear”.
“New Yorkers are safe on the Metro system,” Adams told reporters on Sunday. “What we need to do is remove the perception of fear.” But the latest figures are not helping his case and yesterday The mayor admitted that he doesn’t feel “safe” on the New York subway. Hours later, last night, the new mayor already said he was “frustrated” by the armed violence in the city.
Major crime in NYC rose by more than a third in the first two weeks of this year compared to the same period in 2021. And worse has been the rise in cases in public transport: 65.5%.
“While the numbers remain a small sample size, the upward trend offers an early challenge for Adams as he tries to reassure nervous commuters that the cops have it all under control after several recent terrifying rail attacks,” in particular. the fatal push of a woman on Saturday in the Subway in Times Square, summed up New York Post.
In the transit system, serious crime has skyrocketed with 96 incidents versus 58 in the same period last year, fueled by a boom in robberies and grand thefts.
Nearly every category of felony overall in the city is also on the rise so far this year, and police data shows a 35.2% increase through Sunday, January 16, compared to the same period in 2021. The exceptions were murders and robberies.
“I don’t go out anytime after dark now, it’s not safe,” said Jessica Seymour, a 46-year-old mother of Inwood, Upper Manhattan. “One guy was stabbed and another guy was shot right outside my son’s” 7-year-old window. “We have two schools here, and this happens right here. There are cops on my block all the time. There are shootings. There are drug dealers on our corner right now!”.
Monica Pollack, 31, of the Upper West Side, also dismissed the mayor’s diagnosis: “The fear is real. Crimes are up…Eric Adams can say whatever he wants to promote ridership (on the Metro), but the fear is justified. He needs to do his job, not mislead New Yorkers.”
“The fear is real. Crimes are up… (Mayor) Eric Adams can say whatever he wants to promote ridership (on the Subway), but the fear is justified. You need to do your job, not mislead New Yorkers.”
Monica Pollack, New Yorker
On the streets, car thefts doubled during the first two weeks of 2022 compared to the same period last year: 646 versus 324. And grand thefts increased 61.7%, from 1,304 to 2,108 incidents, according to the data.
Thefts are up 25.1%, with 127 incidents this year compared to the same period in 2021. Still, that number is down nearly 9% from pre-pandemic times in 2020.
Rape also increased with 66 reported incidents versus 57, so far this year compared to the start of 2021. The figure is down almost 10% compared to the same weeks two years ago.
Furthermore, the attacks for serious crimes experienced an uptick, from 831 to 895, depending on the data. Homicides are down slightly: There are four fewer murders in 2022, adding 14 compared to 18 in the first two weeks of 2021. The list includes the violent death of Puerto Rican teenager Kristal Bayron-Nieves, the victim of a violent robbery at a “Burger King” in East Harlem (NYC ) on January 9.
When asked, Mayor Adams said in a statement on Monday: “Security is the key to prosperity, and bad policies and the pandemic have set us back. The bottom line is simple: This city isn’t safe enough, which is why we’re flooding the Metro system with hundreds of new officers and partnering with the Governor to spend tens of millions more on mental health equipment.”
“But we need everyone to do their job: judges to use the laws we have to keep dangerous people off the streets, prosecutors to press charges, and Albany (the governor’s office) to strengthen Kendra’s law and provide more health beds. mind,” he added.
Kendra Law gives judges the power to compel people with mental illnesses to undergo psychological treatment.
Earlier this month, the new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, set off alarm bells in the NYPD and civil society by announcing that misdemeanors related to marijuana, prostitution, and fare evasion on public transportation will no longer be prosecuted, which critics say would further stimulate crime and impunity.
In 2021 almost the majority of crimes were not prosecuted in NYC. In the recent past, several factors that analysts, union leaders, politicians and citizens themselves have linked to the rise in violence Are the controversial bail reforms in NY state in force since January 2020 with the support of then Governor Andrew Cuomo; the massive release of prisoners to avoid contagion by the coronavirus; the mental health crisis with more homelessness in the streets and the Metro; and the reduction of funds to the police promoted by then Mayor Bill De Blasio.
eldiariony.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.