As violent crime stories continue to dominate headlines, the NYPD reported Wednesday that overall crime in NYC is down for the eighth month in a row as of August 2024, touting the fewest shootings of any August in the department’s modern record-keeping history.
The NYPD reported a 6.4% decrease in crime incidents citywide in August compared to the same month last year (10,869 vs 11,618). Much of the decrease is in index crimes such as murder, robbery and felony assault, which the NYPD uses to measure crime statistics. Rape and felony assault are also considered index crimes, but were on the rise in August.
As for transit, despite a rash of lewd acts, hate crimes and assaults this summer — including a recent machete-wielding attack on a 2 train in the Bronx — the city reports a continued drop in subway crime. In the nation’s largest subway system, 81 fewer serious crimes occurred from the start of 2024 through the end of August, compared to the same period last year (1,398 vs. 1,479).
The city said this statistic represents a 5.5% year-over-year drop that extended overall subway crime reductions to seven cumulative months, despite seven additional incidents occurring in August.
Tackling gun violence
The city’s murder rate saw the greatest decrease of all major crimes, with 17 fewer killings (15 vs. 32), which the NYPD touted as a “hefty” 53.1% reduction. 36 fewer people have been murdered since the start of the year compared to last year (242 vs. 278), which translates into a 12.9% decrease.
Getting guns off the streets is a significant reason for the violence lull. NYPD officers continue to seize illegal guns, taking more than 4,400 of these weapons out of neighborhoods this year. Dangerous but critical work, the effort has led to the fewest number of shooting incidents in NYC — 74 — during August of any year “since modern recordkeeping began,” the department said.
“The steep, continuing declines in shootings and murders in New York City are a testament to the hard work being done each day and night by the dedicated men and women of this police department,” Police Commissioner Edward Caban said. “Whether they are patrol officers walking a beat inside a housing development or seasoned detectives working some of the most complex investigations in the world, NYPD cops understand this basic truth: Fewer guns in the hands of criminals translate to safer neighborhoods and enhanced quality of life for all New Yorkers.
The Big Apple saw a decrease in grand larceny in August compared to the same month last year (4,251 vs. 4,695), followed by an 8.7% decrease in robbery (1,440 vs. 1,578); a 7.2% reduction in burglary (1,118 vs. 1,205); and a 5.5% drop in grand larceny—auto.
Speaking of cars, the NYPD has also seized more than 20,200 illegal, two-wheeled motorized scooters and all-terrain vehicles through the end of August, already beating 2023’s complete-year tally of 18,430.
In August, the city’s public housing developments saw 83 fewer serious incidents than in the same month last year (501 vs.584), a 14.2% reduction.
Which crimes increased last month?
Rape, an index crime, was up 8.6% across the city in August compared to the same month last year. Felony assault is also up .4% during the same time period.
The area of hate crimes needs work, too. Potential bias incidents investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force continued to rise in August, with the squad taking on 30 more cases than last August (57 vs. 27), 17 of which are anti-Muslim (17 vs. 0) in motivation. Year to date, investigators are probing 106 additional cases compared to 2023 (438 vs. 332), largely fueled by this year’s surge in anti-Jewish incidents.
But overall, crime has decreased this year as the NYPD enforcement efforts have increased. Total arrests for major index crimes citywide jumped 4.6 percent in August (5,025 vs. 4,805)—a 24-year high—and 9.6 percent since the beginning of the year (38,839 vs. 35,442)—a 23-year high.
Rape continues to be underreported. If you are a victim of sexual assault, the NYPD asks that you come forward. The 24-hour NYPD Special Victims Division hotline is: 212-267-RAPE (7273).
