Overall crime in New York City was down in 2024, including in murder, robbery, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft, but rape and felony assault incidents rose, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Monday.
Overall index crime was down by about 3% and there were over 3,600 fewer incidents in 2024 when compared to the previous year, Tisch announced at a press conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Homicides have declined for three straight years and are now at a five-year low at 377 victims, according to Tisch.
That said, as headline-grabbing subway crimes are leaving New Yorkers on their toes, the NYPD will deploy an additional 200 cops to patrol the 50 highest crime train stations, despite major crimes in transit decreased 5.4% in 2024 when compared to the previous year.
"It's all part of a strategy to refocus our subway efforts to the places where the crime is occurring," Tisch said. "We know that 78% of transit crime occurs on trains and on platforms. And that is quite obviously where our officers need to be. This is just the beginning."
The police commissioner said rape incidents were higher in 2024, partly due to the definition of rape in New York state was redefined and broadened on Sept. 1, 2024. Nearly half of the reported incidents were domestic violence related, she said.
Felony assaults were higher, driven by attacks on police officers, domestic violence and stranger attacks.
The commissioner said the overall lower rate in five of the seven major crime indexes were "achieved against all odds" because there is a surge in recidivism, or the same individuals repeatedly committing crime.
Tisch said that if you compare 2024 to 2018, the NYPD saw a 61.3% increase in people arrested for burglary three or more times in the same year.
"Imagine how disheartening it is for our cops to be out there arresting the same people for the same crimes in the same neighborhoods day after day," the commissioner said. "And how scary it is for New Yorkers to see the same person who victimized them one day walking the streets the next. There are no mental gymnastics required here."
The mayor said the prerequisite to the city's prosperity is public safety.
"We're the safest big city in America. The numbers are clear. We're seeing what the numbers are showing us, what we can do. But we know we have to tackle that perception," he said.
The mayor said he was encouraged by Governor Kathy Hochul's plan to expand the state’s involuntary commitment laws to allow hospitals to compel more mentally ill people into treatment, following a series of violent crimes in the subway system.
He said that his agenda in Albany this year is to come up with proposals that can reduce the number of repeat violent offenders. In addition, the city jails also need state-of-the-art mental health care facilities built into them, Adams said.
