According to a recent report, murders in major US cities have fallen by as much as 20% this year. This includes the Big Apple.
New York City saw a drop of 15% in murders during the first quarter 2024, compared with the same time last year. The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the publication, there were 88 murders committed in the five boroughs during that period. This is a substantial drop from the 104 crimes in 2023.
The outlet reported that Jeff Asher is a data analyst at consultants AHDatalytics who compiled these numbers.
Asher stated that “You’re experiencing a similar situation at a national level to the one you experienced in mid-to late 90s.” But it could be even worse in terms of percentages and numbers of drops.
The number of murders increased during the pandemic. This was attributed to the school closures and civil unrest that followed the death in police custody by George Floyd.
Dean Dabney, a professor of criminology at Georgia State University and the publication said: “The police have gone to sleep.” The prosecution, the courts and the prisons went to sleep. You had a perfect situation for criminals.
According to the publication, the numbers began to drop last year, and have continued to do so in the major US cities of 2024. Boston saw a staggering 82% decrease in homicides, making it the top city on the list.
Columbus, Ohio was next with a drop of 58%, San Antonio, Texas with a 50%, San Diego, Calif. and Nashville, Tenn. were on the list after them with 48%, 44%, and respectively.
New York City’s stats are slightly different from the NYPD statistics released earlier in this month.
Police have reported a greater drop in the number of murders this year than last.
New Yorkers are still concerned with crime, especially after a recent series of attacks on the subway system that led the NYPD earlier this month to send 800 additional cops to the transportation system to conduct a targeted weeklong campaign against fare-cheating.
You can also read about how to get in touch with us. Even though homicides are down, the number of murders is still risingThe NYPD Crime Stats indicate that robbery has increased by 4.3% this year compared to 2023 and assaults have increased by 3.8% this year.
The Journal reports that some cities across the country, such as Denver, Los Angeles, and Portland, Ore., have also seen increases in murders since early April.
The report concluded that the overall trend was positive.