Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor de Blasio touted the positive citywide crime numbers
By Michael V. Cusenza
The February five-borough public safety numbers are in: Thumbs up, as crime continues to plummet in New York City.
“I’ve said that we are living in a very special moment. When you are in the middle of a special moment sometimes it is hard to see it. But I think we can all agree that what happened in 2017 was unprecedented and the numbers – under 300 murders, under 800 shootings just changed everything – safest year in modern history of this city,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday. “So total crime down 1.6 percent, shootings down 7.5 percent—again this is a February [2018] to February [2017] comparison—murders down 41 percent, this February compared to last February. Remarkable numbers.”
Area commands are continuing to ride a downward trend. In the 106th Precinct, according to the latest available City Police Department figures, overall crime is down by 7.4 percent, compared to this time last year. Robberies are down 13.5 percent; burglaries have declined precipitously, 35 percent; and grand larcenies are down 13.3 percent compared to this period in 2017.
However, auto thefts have remained steady—neither increasing nor decreasing—compared to last year. And felony assaults have bolted up more than 43 percent.
In the 102nd Precinct, overall crime is down by 22.29 percent, compared to this time last year. Felony assaults are down 24.3 percent; burglaries are down by 30 percent; grand larcenies are down 35 percent; and car thefts have dropped by more than 33 percent compared to this period in 2017.
But, like all other NYPD commands, the 102 does have its issues. Robberies are up more than 33 percent. And there have been five rapes reported this year, compared to zero in 2017.
The reported rape statistics seem to be part of a disturbing citywide narrative.
“There are some statistics that are going in the opposite direction, and rape is one of them. We recorded 122 rapes [this February] vs. 88 for the prior February, that’s 39 percent increase,” noted NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Dermot Shea. “That’s the sixth straight month, beginning in September, we had increase of less than ten rapes. Once we hit October, we’re seeing sizable increases. When you look at the rapes year to date in New York City, 38 percent are recorded as domestic rapes; acquaintance rapes are 56 percent; and then the remaining are stranger rapes.”
