NYPD Begins to Reverse Trend of Gun Violence in New York City

By Yehudit Garmaise

     Gun violence in New York City has finally begun to decrease, reported NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, today, as he pointed to a 19.5% decrease in shooting incidents that took place between June 2020 and last month.

     In addition, compared to last year at this time, murders are down 23.3%.

     “We are seeing gun violence dipping down, and I have 100% faith in the men and women in this department to keep that trend going,” Commissioner Shea said this morning at the press conference of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

     “How are we doing it?” Commissioner Shea asked. “Gun arrests are up 36%.

     “Our message is simple: Anyone who is carrying an illegal firearm in New York City has to have consequences and should be taken off the street.”

     In fact, the NYPD reported that the department made 361 gun arrests just in the month of June, which is a 99.4% increase compared with June 2020.

      In terms of overall crime last month, compared with June 2020, while burglary in the city decreased a significant 49.6%, overall crime was down very slightly in June compared to June 2020, said Commissioner Shea, who also noted small increases in stolen cars and robberies in the past year.

      Although 24 shootings that the NYPD reported in the city over the July 4th weekend seemed alarming, Commissioner Shea pointed out, “While [24] is obviously way too many, last year we had 45 shooting incidents.

     Mayor de Blasio touted the “real progress” the NYPD has shown in reducing crime.

     “We saw some changes in the month of June, particularly in two crucial categories: shootings and murder, and that speaks volumes to the impact of the work of the NYPD working with communities, but also the impact of the recovery itself,” said Mayor de Blasio, who today, as he has said many times, claimed that the “economic recovery itself” will tame the “wave of violence” that he said COVID “unleashed” “all over the nation: in blue states and red states alike.”

     To fight back and “bring our social fabric back together,” Mayor de Blasio cited his usual solutions: working with communities, neighborhood policing, and Precision Policing.”

     “These are the things that will make us safe again.”