NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban says serious crime was down more than 30% in the city in September compared to last year

Serious crime in New York City continued to drop in September by 34% compared to the same period last year, driven by a massive deployment of officers to high crime areas that began in May, NYPD officials said Wednesday.

NYPD commissioner Edward Caban called the precipitous monthly drop part of a “significant sustained reduction in violent crime” including a 28% drop in homicides and 34.2% decline in shooting incidents. Officials unveiled the new statistics during a news conference at police headquarters at 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan.

But offsetting the big September crime drop across most serious felony categories was an increase in felony assaults, fueled by attacks on police officers taking enforcement action, as well as domestic violence incidents, the officials noted.

Michael LiPetri, chief of crime control strategies, said that assaults on cops are up because officers are taking more enforcement action and are thus getting into more confrontations during their interaction with suspects.

According to police data, felony assaults increased 4.9% in September and for the year have increased almost 6% compared to 2022.

Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry believed that the reason for the increase in assaults on cops is tied to anti-police sentiments.

”There is a simple reason that assaults on cops are going up. It’s because anti-police activists — many of them on the public payroll — have normalized violent resistance against police officers,” Hendry said in a statement.

The other crime category that saw an increase was auto theft, a crime that has climbed steadily since March 2020. In September, auto theft rose 19% over the same period in 2022 and for the year to date has shot up at the same rate, NYPD statistics show.

Overall for the entire year, serious crimes like homicide, burglary, grand larceny and robbery have inched down 5% compared to 2022, a decline that has apparently been diluted by the persistent increase in assaults and auto theft.

While Caban and other police brass applauded the overall violent crime decreases, there were tragic reminders of the violence which that can suddenly erupt and take lives, they said. 

Early Monday morning in Brooklyn, a man sitting with his girlfriend was allegedly stabbed to death by a man who police said had just been in a verbal argument with his own girlfriend. Police said the victim, a well-known community activist named Ryan Carson, had tried to approach the assailant, who was knocking over bicycles, apparently in anger.

Police on Thursday morning arrested Brian Dowling, 18, of Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, on second degree murder charges and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Carson's death, the NYPD said.

A spokesman for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that it would likely be a day before Dowling appeared in criminal court.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.