Despite an uptick in murder, overall NYC crime fell for the seventh consecutive month in July 2024, the NYPD reported Tuesday.
The total number of crimes reported dropped 4.2% year-over-year, from 11,505 in July 2023 to 11,022 in July 2024. Significant progress was found, the NYPD reported, in the city’s subway system, which saw major crime levels fall to their lowest in 15 years, excluding pandemic-related anomalies.
The transit network experienced a 19.7% drop in crime from the previous July (147 incidents in 2024 vs. 183 in 2023) and a 7.7% reduction year-to-date (1,203 vs. 1,304).
While the number of murders in July increased slightly (44 vs. 38), the NYPD reported a year-to-date 10.2% reduction in homicides, from 246 last year to 221 this year. Shootings also continue to trend downward; the NYPD tallied a 19.5% decrease in shootings in July (91 vs. 113) and a 10.9% year-to-date decrease (530 vs. 595).
Key to that decline has been the NYPD’s continued illegal gun seizures, with 3,937 illegal guns removed from the streets, including many 3D-printed “ghost guns.” This effort has contributed to the fewest shooting incidents and victims in five years, the department says.
Overall, the NYPD’s enforcement activities have increased, with major index crime arrests up 11.3 percent in July (5,158 vs. 4,633) and 10.4 percent year-to-date (33,811 vs. 30,637), reflecting the highest number of felony arrests since 1998.
“These remarkable, ongoing decreases in crime and violence, month after month, are the dividends earned from tireless efforts coupled with strategic planning and deployment,” said Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “NYPD officers dutifully patrol the many neighborhoods of our great city every day, disrupting and preventing criminal activity. They do this because they have the support of the people we serve — New Yorkers who actively embrace the concept of public safety as a shared responsibility.”
Even with continued drops in major felonies, the NYPD continues to battle an ongoing spike in hate crimes. The Hate Crime Task Force reported four more incidents in July 2024 (52 vs. 48). More than half of the bias crimes reported last month (30) were antisemitic; that figure also represents a threefold increase from the 10 anti-Jewish hate crimes reported in July 2023.
Antisemitism has increased around New York since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel, and the resulting war with Hamas in Gaza. Earlier this year, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that antisemitic hate crimes grew statewide by more than 110% last year.
Public housing developments, however, saw a notable decline in crime, with 83 fewer incidents reported in July 2024 compared to July 2023, representing a 13.9% reduction (512 vs. 595). Year-to-date figures also improved, with 163 fewer incidents in 2024 (3,485 vs. 3,648).
Across the five boroughs, burglary saw the most significant decrease, with 142 fewer reported crimes in July (1,039 vs. 1,181), a 12% drop. Robbery incidents decreased by 58 (1,485 vs. 1,543), marking a 3.8% reduction.
Felony assaults dropped by 85 incidents (2,671 vs. 2,756), a 3.1% decrease. Grand larceny incidents were down by 81 (4,280 vs. 4,361), a 1.9% reduction.
Auto thefts also saw an 8.7% decrease in July, with 131 fewer vehicles reported stolen (1,368 vs. 1,499). The NYPD attributed the downturn to its comprehensive plan to combat auto theft, which includes multiagency task force operations at the city’s river crossings. These initiatives, involving various law enforcement agencies, have resulted in 1,806 vehicle seizures, 395 arrests, and 15,019 summonses from March 11 through the end of July.
The seizures also led to nearly $17 million in outstanding fees, fines, and taxes paid — as well as numerous illegal drugs and guns having been recovered.
