NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban insists the nation's largest city is safe despite a surge of random street and subway violence, a growing immigration crisis, and the deadly shooting of an officer during a routine traffic check last month.
The newest police department data shows that crime reduced last month and in the first quarter of 2024: Murders dropped 19%, burglaries 17%, and grand larceny 7%. Police reported March shootings dropped 26% from the year before, with 29 fewer victims and more firearm possession arrests.
The police said "Operation Fare Play" with 800 officers reduced transport crime by enforcing fare evasion. Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered National Guard personnel to inspect bags in several of the city's busiest subway stations.The action followed the cutting of a Brooklyn subway conductor and the kicking of a 64-year-old rider into the tracks at bustling Penn Station in Manhattan.
Donald Trump's presidential campaign has linked migrants to a rise in crime, making the subject highly political. Despite some high-profile occurrences, expert research and major-city police data suggest no migrant-driven crime surge.
A 30-year experienced cop, Caban worries about the greater impact of suspects being apprehended and freed after benefiting from state bail reform rules.
Caban, a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent and the first Latino to lead the NYPD last summer, is proud of his force and its diversity.
Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed last month by an armed individual during a Queens traffic check, is a sobering reminder of what may happen to anyone in an instant."Whether it's a family of blood or a family of blue, it hurts to the core," remarked.
"We have one bad incident, it's magnified all over social media, and it sets us all back," said Caban. Everyone thinks our city is lawless, but it's not. The safest big city in America is us.
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