NYC crime is dropping but NYPDs success is alarmingly fragile

The NYPD released its crime statistics for the first quarter of 2025 last week, and the results were pretty spectacular.Six of the seven major crime categories were down, with significant declines in both murders (by 34%) and shootings (by 23%) through the first three months of the year.Major crimes in the subway — which, for the first time in seven years, saw zero first-quarter murders — dropped by almost 20%.After four long years of stubbornly high crime, things are finally trending in the right direction.But understanding the reasons behind the good news makes the platforms of some of those vying to become the city’s next mayor all the more worrisome.The NYPD’s hard-won success could be frighteningly fragile.At a press conference last week, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Adams credited much of the progress to three new enforcement initiatives — programs that have been opposed by some of those running for mayor.First, Tisch’s precision policing approach deployed extra officers and detectives to micro-geographic enclaves with the heaviest concentrations of violent crime.These areas, known as violence reduction zones, saw stepped-up enforcement — and all are located in precincts with mostly black and Latino residents.Second was a welcome jump in the share of serious offenses resulting in either an arrest or the identification of an individual suspect — what those in the field call the “clearance rate.”Third was a fresh emphasis on maintaining order within the subway system, with a surge of cops patrolling trains in the overnight hours.That approach was sold as a means of nabbing criminals with open warrants, and the numbers back it up: 31% of those arrested in the subways were convicted felons.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.

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