In a noteworthy developments in public safety, our city has witnessed a remarkable decrease in instances of homicides and shootings, hitting record lows throughout the initial five months of the present year. This decrease marks the lowest levels of violent incidents in over thirty years. With special reference to May, the city observed an unprecedented lull in crime, being the calmest May since commencement of the CompStat era in 1994.
The commendable efforts of the NYPD in May yielded historic outcomes, making 2025 the most peaceful year on record with regards to shooting incidents and homicides. Statistics provided by the NYPD show that May accounted for merely 54 shooting events and 18 homicides, in turn, setting a fresh record low. Even the Memorial Day weekend of this month held the record for the most tranquil since the initiation of CompStat.
With the conclusion of May, the city culminated an exceptional streak of five consistent months showcasing a decline in violent crimes. As of May 31, police investigations into murders were at 112, illustrating a significant decrease by 28% as compared to the preceding year, or in other terms, 44 fewer documented cases of killings.
Furthermore, the total count of shooting incidents came up to 264, depicting a substantial reduction of 70 incidents from the same time period last year. This amounts to a decline of roughly 20%. Both the counts of murders and shooting incidents, so far, have remained below the precedent set by previous years prior to the pandemic.
Previously, record lows in murder incidents for the inaugural five months of the year were seen in 2014 and 2017. During both these years, the number of murders ascertained by the police force was measured at 113. As for shooting incidents, the lowest figure was in 2018 with 267 incidents recorded.
The major decline in criminal activities, particularly in May, has been attributed to the diligent preparation and execution of the NYPD’s Summer Violence Reduction Plan. This plan initiated on May 5th, with the NYPD identifying 70 high-risk areas scattered across 57 city precincts, areas which historically witnessed high criminal activities.
After identification of these high-risk zones, more than 1,500 uniformed officers were strategically deployed in these areas, specifically during peak times of criminal activities. The result of this stern enforcement was evident, as crime rates during the periods of additional police presence diminished by around 28%.
The influence of regulated patrolling was starkly visible in the significant reduction of shooting incidents in the high-risk zones; a whopping 65% decline was realized. Consequentially, some precincts which were formerly infamous for high levels of criminal activities reported zero shooting incidents throughout May.
An overall crime rate drop of 6% was noted as of June 1st. This pertains to the contrast between felonies committed during the same time period from last year, which tallied to 50,349, and this year’s count of 47,258, according to official sources.
An unfortunate increase, however, was identified in one specific category of crime: sexual assault. The number of reported rape cases rose by 27% from the previous year, up from 645 incidents last year to 820 incidents in the current year.
The NYPD verified that the marked increase in reported sexual assaults during this period is partly an outcome of legislative modifications instated in September of last year. The amendment entails an expanded definition of sexual assault under New York State law, encompassing a broader range of actions as legally recognized sexual assault.