Introduction to Crime Trends in NYC
New York City saw the lowest number of shootings and shooting victims in its recorded history through the first nine months of 2025, continuing a nearly two-year decline in major crime, city officials announced Wednesday.
Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael LiPetri: Tisch announced Wednesday that NYC had seen the fewest shooting incidents for the first nine months of any year, and for any third quarter in recorded history.
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
Decline in Major Crimes
New York City saw the lowest number of shootings and shooting victims in its recorded history through the first nine months of 2025, continuing a nearly two-year decline in major crime, city officials announced Wednesday.
Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said shootings, murders, robberies, and other major crimes have fallen to levels not seen in decades, capping the city’s seventh straight quarter of overall crime reduction since January 2024.
“At the start of our administration, we went to work to sweep out crime and illegal activities from our neighborhoods, and our 2025 third-quarter crime data shows that our public safety apparatus is working,” said Adams.
Citywide, shooting incidents fell more than 20 percent in the first nine months of 2025, 553 compared to 693 last year, marking the lowest level ever recorded. Shooting victims declined by 19 percent to 694. For the third quarter alone, shootings were down nearly 16 percent, Tisch said.
Factors Contributing to the Decline
“These are not a coincidence,” Tisch said. “It is a direct result of an unprecedented, precise, data-driven deployment of thousands of officers. We took cops out of desk jobs and put them on high-visibility foot posts where and when they were needed most, and we told them to get the guns and to go after the gangs, and they did that in unprecedented fashion.”
Murders dropped nearly 18 percent for both the year-to-date and the third quarter, bringing them to their second-lowest levels ever. Burglaries, robberies, grand larcenies, and auto thefts also declined compared to 2024, reversing trends seen during and after the pandemic.
Adams said the crime data shows that the NYPD’s public safety system is working
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
Officials credited the NYPD’s “Summer Violence Reduction Plan” — its largest targeted deployment, with up to 2,300 officers in 72 zones across the city — with driving the sharpest drops. In those zones, shootings fell 47 percent and murders dropped 23 percent compared to last summer.
Transit Crime and Retail Theft
Transit crime also reached record lows. Tisch said the subway system saw its safest third quarter ever, with major crime down nearly 14 percent compared to 2024 and shooting incidents down 67 percent year-to-date.
Retail theft was down nearly 19 percent in the third quarter and 13 percent year-to-date. Tisch said the department’s overhaul included precinct-level theft plans, targeted foot patrols, coordination with transit officers, and making retail theft a focus at weekly CompStat meetings.
Officials also pointed to a record 55 gang-related takedowns so far this year and more than 4,100 illegal guns seized, bringing the total since the start of Adams’ administration to nearly 24,000.
Warning on Federal Cuts
Impact on Counterterrorism Funding
But amid the celebration of falling crime, Commissioner Tisch issued a sharp warning about looming federal cuts to the NYPD’s counterterrorism funding — from $90 million to nearly $10 million.
“The impact of these cuts won’t be felt immediately,” she said. “New York City will not be a less safe place tomorrow as a result of all of this, but it will absolutely be a less safe place six months from now.”
“To strip this funding away from the number one terror target in the world is a profound mistake,” Tisch said. “This is the difference between a city that prevents the next attack and a city left exposed to it.”
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from cutting $187 million in Homeland Security Grant Program funding allocated to New York. This action was part of a broader legal challenge by a coalition of 11 states, all of which sued the government over similar funding reductions.
Response to Federal Cuts
A DHS spokesperson told amNewYork that FEMA is aligning grant programs with President Trump’s priorities to streamline federal resources and reduce taxpayer costs.
The spokesperson noted that New York City has historically received the largest share of Urban Area Security Initiative funding — about $3.6 billion, or 30% of all awards since the program began. They added that $1.6 billion in UASI funds remain unspent nationwide, including “substantial balances” in New York.
Separately, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, accusing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the agency of unlawfully cutting nearly $34 million in transit security funds for the MTA. She said the move was meant to punish the state for its “sanctuary” policies.
Importance of Counterterrorism Funding
Commissioner Tisch stressed on Wednesday that the federal funds pay for bomb squad technicians, heavily armed officers guarding subways and major events, counterterrorism patrols at houses of worship, radiation detection technology, intelligence analysts, real-time surveillance cameras, and training for active shooter situations.
She said counterterrorism funding “cannot be a political issue” and should not fluctuate with partisan debates. She called it a “profound mistake” to strip those resources away from New York City, which she described as the nation’s top terror target.
Since 9/11, the city has faced more than 70 terrorism plots and acts of ideologically driven violence, Tisch said. She credited the NYPD’s counterterrorism programs with keeping the city safe.
Conclusion
Adams echoed that concern, calling the funding “crucial” for the city’s safety.
“New York City is still a real target for those who want to hurt our city. We’re seeing extremist behavior that’s taking place across the entire globe. And these funds are crucial, not only because the United Nations is here. We have the largest Jewish population outside of Israel that’s here. So many other groups that are the victims of some of the targets,” he said.
Hizzoner, who dropped his re-election bid on Sunday, told reporters he is “leaving this city in good shape” and offered some friendly advice to his successor: “And I’m going to say you in the words of Bloomberg, when I became mayor, don’t f-ck it up.”
“We made the city safer, both above ground, below ground,” he said. “This city is in good shape, and we need to make sure we don’t go backwards.”
FAQs
- What is the current trend in crime rates in NYC?
The current trend in crime rates in NYC is a decline in major crimes, with the lowest number of shootings and shooting victims in recorded history through the first nine months of 2025. - What factors have contributed to the decline in crime rates?
The decline in crime rates can be attributed to the NYPD’s “Summer Violence Reduction Plan”, which included the deployment of thousands of officers in high-visibility foot posts, targeted foot patrols, and coordination with transit officers. - What is the impact of federal cuts on counterterrorism funding?
The federal cuts to counterterrorism funding could put the city at risk, with Commissioner Tisch warning that it would be a “profound mistake” to strip away these resources from the nation’s top terror target. - What is the response of city officials to the federal cuts?
City officials, including Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch, have expressed concern over the federal cuts, with Adams calling the funding “crucial” for the city’s safety. - What is the importance of counterterrorism funding for NYC?
Counterterrorism funding is crucial for NYC, as it pays for bomb squad technicians, heavily armed officers, counterterrorism patrols, and other measures that keep the city safe from terrorism plots and acts of ideologically driven violence.
