NYPD crime stats: Murders hit record low, but hate crimes rise sharply
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Murders in New York City hit a new record low in April, according to statistics released Thursday by the NYPD.
The 17 murders last month were down more than a third from a year earlier. Robbery and burglary also hit record lows.
But hate crimes have spiked, rising 67 percent for the first quarter of this year, with 145 incidents in 2019 versus 87 this time last year
There has been an even larger jump in anti-Semitic incidents which are up 82 percent.
Police say anti-Semitic crimes make up more than half of all the reported hate crimes.
"Forces of white supremacy have been unleashed," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "And as you know, those are profoundly anti-Semitic forces. A lot of folks used to be told it's unacceptable to be anti-Semitic, it's unacceptable to be racist. And now they are getting more permission. What I'm seeing around the country really worries me that these nativist forces who don't like a whole lot of people who make up America today are coming out of the woodwork and we've got to fight them back."
The Anti-Defamation League called the new figures "deeply troubling".
In its report, the NYPD said there were reductions in every major crime category in April 2019 compared with a year ago.
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