The average time the NYPD took to send officers to crime scenes in the Bronx in 2018 was nearly two minutes longer than the citywide average, an Independent Budget Office report says.
In the 12 Bronx police precincts, the average dispatch time for possible crimes in progress was 5.61 minutes, compared to a citywide average of 3.8 minutes, the May 9 IBO report shows. The 47th Precinct (Highbridge and West Concourse) and 44th Precinct (Wakefield and Williamsbridge) had the slowest dispatch times across the city, with 8.03 and 7.7 minutes, respectively.
The Bronx average increased from 3.6 minutes in 2014, while the citywide average increased from 3 minutes in 2014, the first year for which the IBO has data, a spokesman said.
The IBO would not speculate as to why the average dispatch time in the Bronx jumped by 2 minutes, but did note that “crime-in-progress incidents rose less rapidly in the Bronx than in the rest of the city from 2014 through 2018” and “the number of uniformed officers assigned to the Bronx increased more rapidly than elsewhere over the same period.”
The borough with the fastest average dispatch time in 2018 was Staten Island, with an average of 2.62 minutes. Of any individual precinct, the 100th Precinct in the Rockaways had the fastest average dispatch time of 1.57 minutes.
In response to the IBO report, the NYPD cited data that show its response to crimes in progress has gone down since 2014.
The citywide average “end-to-end” response time, from the time 911 is dialed to the time emergency responders arrive on the scene, for all crimes in the city was 10.92 minutes in 2014, 10.58 minutes in 2016 and 10.13 minutes in 2018, according to the Mayor’s Management Reports.
For critical crimes in progress, which includes shots fired, assault with a knife or other weapon, robbery and burglary, the citywide average “end-to-end” response time was 7.13 minutes in 2014, 7.15 minutes in 2016 and 6.73 minutes in 2018.
A breakdown of average “end-to-end” response times by borough was not released.
“Reducing response times to 911 calls is a priority of the NYPD so officers can provide assistance, initiate an investigation or render aid,” said DCPI spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica McRorie. “Safety is a shared responsibility and we encourage individuals to call 911 when there is an emergency. The NYPD will continue to work closely with members of the community in order to make every New York City neighborhood safe.”
