NYC crime up 22% in 2022 despite drops in homicides and shootings: NYPD

Rocco Parascandola, Thomas Tracy, Larry McShane, New York Daily News
Updated ·3 min read
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A 22% citywide jump in major crimes last year was tempered by a year-ending decline signaling the city may be turning a corner in the war on crime, police officials said Thursday.

While the overall numbers were up, year-end NYPD statistics offered reasons for optimism: Homicides declined by 11% and shootings were down 17% compared with 2021. And the crime index dropped in both November and December of last year, officials said, with murders down from 114 to 95 in the last three months.

“We’ve had highs and lows,” said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell in announcing the numbers. “But these decreases represent people — fewer victims and a safer city.”

The drop in gun violence translates into 147 fewer shooting victims in the final quarter of last year, said Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri. The impact was felt most in the Bronx, where decisions in shifting personnel led to the numbers going “from the worst to the best,” he said.

Lepetri also complained about bail reform issues that kept repeat offenders on the streets, with 439 people arrested last year for three or more burglaries compared with 196 in 2017.

Sharp increases in felony assault, robberies and car thefts remained a cause for concern — the number of total felony crimes reported in 2022 increased by more than 23,000 compared with the year prior. The five boroughs saw a 25% rise in robberies, a 12% jump in felony assaults and a 32% spike in car thefts compared with 2021.

The total number of felony crimes last year was 126,537, with the number at 103,388 in 2021.

The city ended the year with a 29% increase in crime in the city’s subway system following several high-profile assaults that led Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul to announce a major underground crime crackdown. But an MTA spokesman lauded the increased underground security and its results.

“We are encouraged by the sustained and continuing drop in subway crime since then,” said MTA Communications Director Tim Minton. “Safety is improving with riders also telling us they feel safer.”

Cops saw a 26% drop in homicides in December 2022 when compared with December 2021. They also saw an 8% drop in robberies and a 10% drop in burglaries. Felony assaults rose by 4% in December, statistics show.

The city’s public housing developments weren’t spared the overall crime uptick, with a 6.5% jump in felony crimes in 2022, statistics show.

Police union head Patrick Lynch hailed the work of the city’s officers but said the department lacked the manpower to keep the numbers stable.

“The mayor spoke about improving officer morale and beefing up the NYPD’s headcount,” he said. “Both are trending in the wrong direction. New York City can’t achieve its public safety goals by underpaying and overworking cops on the street.”

The city saw 433 homicides in 2022 compared with 488 victims the year before. But murders were still up 36% in 2022 compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the city saw 318 slayings.

Most of the violence occurring since the pandemic has been committed by warring street gangs, police officials said.

Shootings began skyrocketing in the city during the summer of 2020, culminating in a horrific July 4 weekend in which 41 people were shot, nine fatally, in one day. The violence continued through the beginning of 2021, but began to abate slightly.

In July 2021, a year after the surge in violence began, then-Police Commissioner Dermot Shea reported a 35% drop in shootings that month compared with the previous July, although the month ended with a violent gang-fueled Queens bloodbath that wounded 10 people.