By Forum Staff
City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Monday that in the first 10 months of 2025, the city saw the fewest shooting incidents and shooting victims in its history.
During the 10-month stretch, the city recorded 596 shooting incidents and 744 shooting victims, compared to the previous all-time lows of 641 and 768 respectively, set in 2018. Additionally, the city saw record-low shooting incidents and shooting victims for the month of October, with 43 shooting incidents and 50 shooting victims—shattering the previous October record of 62 shooting incidents and 74 shooting victims set in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
For the month of October, murders were also at the lowest level in recorded history with 18 murders, tying the previous record set in 2018. Murders declined by almost half compared to October 2024, dropping 48.6 percent (18 vs. 35).
October also was the safest for major transit crime in recorded history, tying the previous record set in 2020, when ridership was at historic lows because of the pandemic. July, August, September, and October combined were the safest months on the subways in recorded history, excluding the pandemic years.
Felony assault is trending down year-to-date after four consecutive years of increases and declined 7.2 percent (2,297 vs. 2,475) in October. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 40 percent of felony assaults in the Big Apple are related to domestic violence. To address this growing crisis, the NYPD launched the Domestic Violence Unit last month — the largest unit of its kind in the nation.
According to Tisch, the record-low crime numbers were largely driven by the NYPD’s Fall Violence Reduction Plan, a data-driven, precision-policing strategy to combat violent crime and shootings. The plan consists of 54 zones covering 38 communities, with up to 1,800 uniformed officers assigned to nightly foot posts in precincts, public housing, and the subway system. Since its inception on Oct. 13, index crime is down 26.6 percent (168 vs. 229) and shootings are down 41.7 percent (7 vs. 12) in the zones during deployment hours. The NYPD’s ongoing work to target and take down the most dangerous gangs also plays a role in driving down shootings and removing guns from the streets. So far this year, NYPD detectives have carried out 57 gang-related takedowns, and the department has seized more than 4,625 illegal guns since January and more than 24,385 guns since the start of Adams administration in 2022.
“For the first 10 months of the year and the month of October, the NYPD delivered the lowest number of shooting incidents and victims in recorded history, and the safest October on our subways in recorded history, including the pandemic years when ridership was at historic lows,” Tisch added. “This isn’t luck or coincidence—it’s the direct result of our precision policing strategy and the relentless work of the men and women of the NYPD who carry out this plan and make our city safer. These historic public safety milestones are reaching every corner of New York City, and I thank Mayor Adams for his continuous support of the NYPD.”
