NYPD Says Crime is Down, But Popular Perception Says It's Up

Though there's been a surge in assaults in some downtown neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the NYPD says New York's fifteen year decline in crime continues unabated, with an overall drop of 12% so far this year. But some New Yorkers, like Harlem's Kone Mahamadou, tell a different story: "If you walk these streets, especially at night, you know crime is definitely not down. It's not safe. I don't know where they get these statistics." Some say the NYPD's stats are skewed because officers have been known to discourage crime victims from filling out police reports, but David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College, says the bad economy is just messing with everyone's heads: "All objective information says things are no worse, and maybe a little better, but residents think things are going in a ditch." Tell that to 20-year-old East New York resident Tianna Sanchez; the NYPD says robberies and grand larcenies are down by double digits in the area, but she tells the News, "You can't sit on a bench because you are scared there will be shootings. They were shooting on my baby's birthday. It was 90 degrees out, and we had to go in the house."

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By John Del Signore in News on May 26, 2009 11:04 AM

Comments [rss]

JMH

True Crime: New York City was a really crappy game.

Loulou

Yeah its definitely going up

you could see it for yourself little by little quality of life crimes creeping back up all around

More stickup boys around now, gangs, etc.

We need some serious "Death Wish" action going on around here =p

citizenerased

Welcome to Hamsterdam

Wza

It's going up. I've definitely seen more in the streets the past 2 years.

It's easy to play with numbers, especially during election season.

meechybee

Rising crime is a self-fulfilling prophesy. When the perception of a rising crime rate keeps law-abiding people off the streets, there is more opportunity for criminal mischief.

felixthecat2

Crime is up but unreported especially in the subway. NYPD doesn't take the reports and Transit police takes forever to respond.

imadick

you're an idiot. the MTA no longer has police in the subway; those are uniformed NYPD officers.

felixthecat2

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/crime_prevention/job_of_a_transit_PO.shtml

Here are some facts

imadick

thanks for proving yourself wrong. the transit police ARE the NYPD. schmuck.

felixthecat2

schmuck, I never said they were not NYPD but only NYPD Transit takes the report at the transit station and not the patrol so you have to wait for them to respond and it takes a long time. it took over 20 minutes for them to respond and they told me they had to take me to a transit station to record the incident which would take longer. geez.

felixthecat2

No, you are the idiot because the transit police has stations in the subway. WRONG, you have to wait for Transit police which is NYPD to take you to one of the train station to take your report. I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT when my IPHONES were stolen. the police responded and waited with me for Transit to respond. they couldn't take me to their station since it happen in the trains. It took over 20 minutes for them to respond and NYPD patrol stated that transit has to travel to different stations to respond. Why don't you get some real facts before you call someone an idiot.