Big news coming out of the Big Apple as NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, along with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and even Gov. Kathy Hochul have something to boast about: a sizable drop in gun violence for the year 2025. According to ABC7 New York, the city saw just 305 murders last year - that's 77 fewer than in 2024. The lower figures don't stop there; robberies and grand theft auto declined by nearly 10% and 5%, respectively.
Shootings in the city followed this downward trend with a 43% decline in December alone, making it the month with the fewest incidents ever recorded in NYC. Citing this record-breaking month, Tisch said, "These numbers tell a very different story," pushing back against the perception that crime is spiraling out of control in the city. As CBS News New York reports, this year ended with 688 shooting incidents - the city's historical low, and a significant drop compared to the previous low of 2018.
Commissioner Tisch highlighted the NYPD's "precision policing strategy" as a key factor in driving down violence, noting the boost in officer deployment in areas plagued by violence, and targeted operations against violent gangs. At a Tuesday morning news conference, she mentioned that the NYPD is developing a productive relationship with Mayor Mamdani, which is seemingly paying off in the city's safety statistics.
Hate crimes, including antisemitic incidents, also saw a downturn last year. While antisemitism remains a pressing concern, making up 57% of all hate crimes, incidents fell by 3%. On the other side of the spectrum, rape incidents increased by 16%, a rise that NYPD attributes to legislative alterations made in September 2024 that expanded definitions of sexual assault in the state's law. Felony assaults also ticked up by 0.4%, driven by domestic violence and clashes with public employees like police officers, "Each of those percentage points adds up to dining room tables without an empty seat, lives freed from the dark cloud of grief, children that grow up with a parent at home," Mayor Mamdani told CBS News New York, illustrating the human impact behind the statistics.
