Adams says crime is down as he takes aim at NYPD critics

Mayor Eric Adams and top New York City Police Department officials went after critics of the department during a briefing at One Police Plaza on Wednesday about first-quarter crime stats. The mayor and Police Commissioner Edward Caban sought to counter public perception that crime has increased while insisting that “everyday New Yorkers” want to see an increased police presence in the subways.

Adams said that despite public perceptions, New York City is the “safest big city in America.” The mayor said that the crime rate steadily decreased in the first quarter of 2024, showing that the city is quickly moving in the right direction – though he acknowledged that there is still much work left to be done. According to Adams, the three biggest challenges that the city is facing when it comes to crime are “recidivism, severe mental health issues and random acts of violence.”

Caban agreed and added that the problems are not new. The commissioner said that widespread recidivism has been troubling the criminal justice system for years. “In many cases, you are arresting the same people over and over again,” said Caban, who blamed the situation on a  “lack of consequence” for offenders.

Caban announced that major felony crime in the city was down in five of seven categories: murder, rape, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft. But Michael Lipetri, the NYPD’s chief of crime control strategies, told reporters that the rate of domestic violence rose by 5% this quarter, and there has been an uptick in both misdemeanor and felony assaults.

The mayor made sure to address residents’ concerns about public safety on the subways, which has become a major issue following a spate of violent incidents on public transit – including a shooting on a Brooklyn A train and several train stabbings.

Despite those high-profile incidents, major crime in the transit system was actually down 23.5% last month, according to Caban. The mayor attributed the decrease in crime to the addition of 1000 more police officers into the transit system. “Can we please stop saying we're up in crime in the subway system?” Adams asked. “We are not, we are down in crime in the subway system.”

While discussing strategies to fight crime in the subway system, Adams called out critics of the NYPD. He dismissed complaints from progressives that the increased presence of police on subways makes some people feel less safe, insisting that “everyday New Yorkers” feel safer when they see NYPD officers.

“I push back with anyone who tells us that the public does not feel comfortable when they see a uniformed officer…your child rides that subway, and that officer’s there, that’s comfort,” the mayor said. “So that numerical minority with that voice, that people feel police should not be on the subway system, that’s not what everyday New Yorkers feel.”

Adams also suggested that the NYPD should combat crime in the subway by increasing arrests for fare evasion, noting that the suspect in the A train shooting allegedly did not pay his fare before boarding the train. But he said that the job of combating crime cannot be left up to the police alone. “Public safety is not just police, public safety means the right laws, the right judges, the right prosecutions and the right education to the public as they move through the system,” he said. 

Adams also blamed the media for exaggerating the danger that people face on the subways. He specifically called out Daily News columnist Harry Siegel, who recently published a column that inaccurately stated that 10 people had been killed in the subway so far this year. (The actual number is four.) The Daily News quickly issued a correction – but not before top NYPD officials attacked Siegel on social media over it.

When asked about NYPD response to Siegel, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Public Information Tarik Sheppard insisted that the department has a reputation to defend and Siegel was biased against the NYPD.