NYPD Chief of Department John Chell touts decrease in New York City crime
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The NYPD is touting a decrease in crime so far this year, saying the number of shootings and homicides are way down.
It's still a battle of statistics versus the perception of New Yorkers on safety in the city.
In a city like New York, violent crime has always been a fact of life.
"I'm afraid sometimes to even come out of my apartment to empty my garbage," a resident in the Bronx said.
The last two weeks have been no exception.
From an innocent bystander shot on a Bronx playground to a double shooting in Brooklyn.
For a city this big, cases like this are suddenly, exceedingly rare.
"We look at this daily," said NYPD Chief Chief of Department John Chell.
Chell is the highest ranking uniformed member of the NYPD, where, quietly, police officers, data scientists and everyone in between, have assembled the building blocks of a resurgence of safety.
"You take 21,000 plus guns off the street in the last couple years, you reduce people getting shot, you reduce murders and you keep the city safer," Chell said.
The first five months of 2025 saw what the city describes as the lowest number of shootings and homicides, for as long as they have been keeping records.
Citywide, there have been 264 shootings and 112 homicides, just edging out the previous record year, 2018, before the pandemic, with 267 shootings and 113 homicides.
"In 2020 and 2021, we had shootings approaching, they went down to 1,200, went down to 800, and now we're approaching the best numerical statistical year we've had in the police department," Chell said.
So far in 2025, cops have taken more than 2,200 guns off the street. That's an average of more than 14 a day.
As we head into the busy summer season, police are hoping the current trends hold, in a year on track to break records.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
