De Blasio Touts NYPD Crime Stats, Despite Mixed Record

NEW YORK CITY — A wave of violence that washed over New York City during the coronavirus pandemic appears could be turning back, according to new NYPD crime statistics.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday touted a 17 percent drop in murders last month. He said a wider anti-violence effort over the summer brought murders and shootings down 12 percent and 13 percent, respectively, compared to 2020.

And he connected the efforts to an overall 11 percent dip in crime during his eight years in office.

"The safest big city in America," a slide stated during de Blasio's presentation.

“There are indications of these efforts working even with challenges,” he said.

But a closer look at November's crime statistics shows many other crimes rose — a fact highlighted by the Police Benevolent Association union's Twitter account.

"Soon-to-be-former @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio: what on earth are you talking about?" it tweeted, highlighting crime statistics covering a span last week.

Soon-to-be-former @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio: what on earth are you talking about?

We have a lot of work to do to get crime back down to pre-2019 levels. You and your policies are not helping. #24DaysLeft pic.twitter.com/HkbXpAyxri
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) December 8, 2021

Crime, particularly murders and shootings, became a major issue during the coronavirus pandemic last year and the mayoral race this year.

Critics pinned blame on de Blasio, who in turn repeatedly blamed a "perfect storm" of societal upheavals.

The most serious crimes remain roughly level compared to 2020, despite intensified NYPD efforts, data shows. There were 434 murders citywide through November this year, just two fewer than the same point last year, according to crime statistics.

And overall crime was up 21 percent when comparing November this year to the same month in 2020, data shows.

The November numbers also show a 97 percent spike in reported hate crimes from 2020 to this year. There were 48 percent more hate crimes against Jewish people and 357 percent more anti-Asian incidents, the data shows.

"It’s extremely alarming that in the past seven weeks alone, we have had to issue five reward offers asking for information about violent antisemitic incidents," said Scott Richman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League's New York and New Jersey office, said in a statement. "Hate crimes affect entire communities, not just the victims. This trend is unacceptable and we cannot let this hate become normalized."

Still, De Blasio on Wednesday credited Commissioner Dermot Shea — who'll be retiring as the year ends — for embracing precision policing methods and community outreach that he said served as a model for police departments nationwide.

Shea said the past two years in particular were challenging, but he didn't have regrets.

"I honestly wouldn't change a thing," he said.

Shea's response came after New York Post reporter Julia Marsh listed a litany of criticisms leveled at the commissioner, from "human rights violations" by NYPD officers to misinformation during the George Floyd protests.