The New York crime rate is dropping. Over the last twenty years, crime rates have dropped by 62 percent, driven by an incredible 73 percent drop in crime in New York City.
The crime rate study, compiled from data gathered from the Bureau of Justice and the FBI, was created by PEW Charitable Trusts and looks at the incarceration rates as well as crime statistics. Imprisonment rates dropped, in New York, by 24 percent.
“I talk about it as defying gravity. New York had major, unprecedented crime declines from the peak rates in 1990. Homicide down 82 percent. Robberies down 84 percent. Burglaries down 86 percent. Auto theft down 94 percent,” said Arkady Bukh, a veteran criminal defense attorney.
Although there is a furious debate over what caused the drop in crime rate for the state, everyone agrees that the staggering decline of crime in New York City was the main cause behind the state’s crime rate decline. Currently, New York State is the third safest state in the country, behind Idaho and North Dakota, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Former Mayor’s David Dinkins and Rudolph Giuliani both pushed the “broken windows” policy which focused on aggressive prevention of minor and low level crime. By taking a proactive approach, the larger crimes were discouraged before they began.
Other schools of thought believe that the economic boom of the 90s drove the crime rate down, a huge increase of the size of the police force and a change in the demographics in the city had an outsized effect on the crime rate.
“With the lowest crime rate in 20 years – alongside a dramatic drop in the number of people incarcerated in state prisons – New York is a true example of how safety and fairness can coexist,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “I am proud to see New York State achieving these record results, and this administration will continue our work to make New York the safest possible place to live, work and raise a family.”