Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is a privilege to be back at One Police Plaza alongside Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Chief Michael LiPetri, NYPD executive staff and the devoted public servants that are here today.
At the beginning of the summer, I stood alongside NYPD leadership and Gov. Hochul and urged New Yorkers to stay safe over the summer because year after year, we had seen crime figures spike as the weather warmed and as our city started to gather outside. Make no mistake, our city was most definitely outside this summer. We celebrated the Knicks championship and the World Cup together, marked 250 years as a nation, watched fireworks burst in the air and enjoyed a summer that I know few of us will [not] forget anytime soon. And we also did so joyfully and safely.
I want to begin by talking about what was the safest summer for shooting incidents, shooting victims and murders in New York City's history. Over the last year, from January until the end of August, our city recorded 5,000 fewer reported crimes than it did through the same eight months in 2025.
I want to put that into percentages. Major crime is down 6.6 percent across the five boroughs, with the largest drop in the Bronx, which has recorded 2,400 fewer crimes this year compared to last.
Our subway system recorded zero rapes, shooting incidents or shooting victims throughout the entire month of August. In August, we made history with the fewest robberies on transit ever recorded in that month. And we have achieved these record lows as ridership reaches highs not seen since the pandemic, with nearly 4.7 million New Yorkers riding the subway on a Wednesday last month.
Our city's public housing system has also followed the same pattern, with historic lows in shootings, murders and robberies. There was not a single murder in our public housing system in August.
As the weather begins to cool, crime has continued to drop. I'm proud to announce that we have recorded the fewest shooting incidents and victims of any September in New York City history. As we close out the third quarter, we do so with the fewest murders ever recorded in the first nine months of the year. Year to date, murders are down nearly 20 percent.
We have also seen a record low in traffic deaths this year, with fatalities down nearly 28 percent. And yet, we will not allow ourselves to grow complacent. There is still work to be done because while major crime figures may be plummeting, we know that even a single crime in our city is one crime too many.
There continue to be a number of areas of concern, with a focus on hate crimes, which are up 12.6 percent in this quarter and 12.9 percent year to date. Year to date, antisemitic hate crimes are up 1.2 percent, anti-Muslim hate crimes are up 77.8 percent, anti-Hispanic hate crimes are up 83.3 percent, and gender-based hate crimes are up 122.2 percent.
Our work to make New York City safer than ever is a daily, ongoing pursuit. And I want to take a moment to thank those who lead it. So often we speak about lower crime through the prism of data points and statistics, but just outside this room are hundreds of police officers who devote themselves to the work of devising and implementing strategies that will keep their fellow New Yorkers safe.
And outside the doors of One Police Plaza, across the five boroughs, are tens of thousands of NYPD officers who protect and serve at every hour of the day. They walk the beat in the searing sun and the chilling cold. They ride our subways and patrol our harbor. And they are so often the first people that New Yorkers turn to in times of need.
I'm also grateful for the support and leadership provided by violence interrupters and CMS providers. New Yorkers live on safer streets and safer neighborhoods, attend safer parades during safer holidays, thanks to the tireless work of everyone involved, including crisis management system teams who mediate disputes and seek to tackle the root of violence at its actual cause.
It is not an accident that we are together today to celebrate crime dropping across our city, across nearly every major category. It is a direct result of thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers who have made enormous, unseen sacrifices on behalf of one another and on behalf of the city that we all love.
Those sacrifices are measured each time a child returns home safely from playing in a playground, each time someone rides the subway late at night and never knows the moment of anxiety, each time a family remains whole.
We will build on the progress we've already achieved by investing in approaches that prevent crime, as well as by supporting both the NYPD, CMS providers and all who are involved in this work to build a city where every New Yorker is safe. Thank you. And now I would like to invite Commissioner Tisch to share some specifics.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch: Good morning. Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, for being here with us today. Before we get into today's crime stats briefing, I want to provide an update related to the assault on Detective Jose Mercedes, which occurred in the 52 Precinct on Friday.
At this time, we can name the two individuals wanted for attempted murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. The suspects are D'Angelo Caraballo, a 25-year-old Hispanic male with two prior arrests in New York City, one for criminal possession of a weapon and menacing, and the other for criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The other is Sneider Mejia, a 24-year-old Hispanic male who has no criminal history in New York City. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call 1-800-577-TIPS.
Now to the topic that we are gathered here to discuss. Through the first nine months of 2026, the NYPD has continued to drive crime down across the city. New York City saw the lowest number of shooting incidents, the lowest number of shooting victims and the lowest number of murders for the first nine months of any year in recorded history.
These historic results continue to be driven by our precision policing strategy, taking illegal guns off the street, dismantling the gangs, driving violence and putting officers exactly where and when the data tells us they are needed most.
And behind every one of those results are the men and women of the NYPD, bravely carrying out that strategy on the streets of this city. What makes those results even more remarkable is everything that this department was asked to take on at the same time.
As we entered the summer, there were plenty of people who wondered whether something would have to give, whether the extraordinary operational demands facing this department would come at the expense of our core crime-fighting mission.
This summer alone, our officers managed the World Cup, the NBA Finals, the Knicks ticker-tape parade, Sail250, the Fourth of July and countless other major events while working expanded violence reduction deployments through days of record-breaking heat.
Then came September, when they secured the 25th anniversary of September 11th. They protected Jewish communities through the High Holy Days and carried out the enormous security operations surrounding the United Nations General Assembly. And through it all, the NYPD drove down crime 9 percent in the third quarter.
This city gave the NYPD an extraordinary test, and our cops answered it with historic results.
Now let me give you the overall crime picture year to date. Overall, index crime is down nearly 7 percent citywide, with declines in all five boroughs. So far this year, there have been more than 6,000 fewer major crime complaints compared to last year at this time. It has been 17 years since New York City saw a reduction of that size through September.
The Bronx continues to lead the city with a 12 percent reduction in index crime year to date, driven by a nearly 14 percent drop in the third quarter. That success reflects, in part, our decision to split the Bronx into two patrol boroughs, giving us a sharper structure to target crime across the borough.
Brooklyn is down 7 percent. Manhattan is down 7 percent. Staten Island is down 3 percent. And Queens is down slightly year-to-date.
And within that citywide progress, the reductions in shootings and murders do stand apart. Through the first nine months of the year, New York City recorded the lowest number of shooting incidents ever, down 12 percent compared to last year's previous record.
And that citywide progress accelerated in the third quarter when shooting incidents dropped 23 percent, the lowest Q3 total on record. Compared to five years ago, in 2021, there have been 700 fewer shooting incidents through the first nine months of the year.
Through the first nine months of 2026, 100 fewer people were shot in New York City than at this point last year, when shooting victims were already at a record low. That's 594 versus 694. And compared to just five years ago, in 2021, 846 fewer New Yorkers have been shot. That is a nearly 60 percent decline since 2021. And in the third quarter, shooting victims fell 28 percent to the lowest Q3 total on record.
Those historic reductions in shootings are directly connected to our cops' relentless focus on illegal guns. So far this year, NYPD officers have taken more than 4,000 guns off of the streets of New York City. Every one of those recoveries represents a weapon that cannot be used in the next shooting.
Next is murder. Through the first nine months of the year, New York City recorded 203 murders, 50 fewer than at this point last year and the lowest total ever recorded for this point in the year. And in the third quarter, murders fell nearly 20 percent citywide to the lowest Q3 total in recorded history.
Now let's get into the rest of the seven major crimes. Citywide, robberies are down 12 percent year to date, with nearly 1,400 fewer robberies compared to this point last year. In September, we saw the fewest robberies of any September in recorded history.
Burglaries are down nearly 14 percent year to date, with declines in all five boroughs. Brooklyn and Queens both recorded their lowest burglary totals ever for this point in the year. And in the third quarter, burglaries fell nearly 12 percent to the lowest Q3 total in recorded history.
Residential burglaries for the year are down 18 percent citywide to the lowest levels on record. That progress is a direct result of our precision task force approach, which brings patrol officers, detectives, intelligence officers, crime analysts and specialized units together to identify patterns and attack the conditions driving these crimes.
Grand larcenies are down nearly 6 percent year to date, with nearly 2,100 fewer incidents compared to this point last year. In the third quarter, grand larcenies fell 10 percent. That is especially significant because grand larceny remains the largest major crime category in New York City, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all index crime.
Auto theft fell 12 percent citywide, driven by a stunning 27 percent decrease in the borough of the Bronx. That marks a dramatic reversal from last year, when the Bronx was the only borough in the city to see an auto theft increase.
That turnaround reflects the work of our dedicated auto larceny and auto crime teams, who have led a series of major investigations and takedowns targeting the crews responsible for organized vehicle theft across the city.
Felony assaults saw a slight uptick, 0.2 percent, up 55 incidents compared to last year, 22,781 versus 22,726. The increase is being driven in part by assaults on public sector workers and police officers, which are up nearly 8 percent year to date.
Domestic violence also continues to account for a significant share of felony assaults, accounting for 40 percent of incidents citywide. Now rape is the other crime category that's up year to date, increasing 4 percent compared to last year.
Roughly one-quarter of the rapes reported this year involve crimes that occurred in prior years, meaning survivors are coming forward to report sexual violence that previously went unreported. Through September, that figure was 25 percent.
We want survivors to come forward. We want these crimes reported. And when survivors do come forward, the NYPD will investigate those cases and connect them with the support and the services that they need.
And our commitment to survivors does not expire with the passage of time. Just last month, NYPD detectives helped solve a rape that occurred in Brooklyn more than 30 years ago. The victim reported the attack in 1995. And for three decades, that case remained unsolved, but our detectives kept working it, and advances in DNA technology ultimately helped identify the alleged attacker and bring him into custody.
That is the promise that we make to survivors. We do not forget these cases, and we do not stop pursuing justice simply because time has passed. In our subway system, major crime is up slightly year to date. There were 15 more crimes this year than at this point last year. That is an increase of 0.9 percent.
In terms of major crime in the New York City Subway system, this year is the second lowest in 15 years behind 2025, if you exclude the pandemic years. The slight increase in major crime this year in transit is mainly concentrated in felony assault, which is up 11 percent year to date, driven in significant part by assaults against public sector workers.
Forty-eight percent of felony assaults in transit this year have been committed by individuals with a documented mental health history with the Police Department. We saw the consequences of the mental health crisis quite painfully last Wednesday when a 59-year-old man was fatally stabbed aboard a J train in Queens.
Recidivism also remains a major challenge in transit. Of the 734 people arrested in transit this year for a major crime, 214 have been arrested three or more times in 2026 alone. I can assure New Yorkers that we will continue to bring the full weight of this department to bear on the people driving violence in our transit system.
At the same time, other major crime categories in transit remain at historic lows. Robberies are tied for the lowest year-to-date level on record outside the pandemic years. In the third quarter, we saw the fewest robberies ever recorded in transit, including the pandemic years.
Grand larcenies in transit are also at their lowest year-to-date level on record outside the pandemic years. Public housing continues to be one of the clearest examples of where our precision strategy is delivering real results. Major crime in our housing developments is down nearly 7 percent year to date, and the reductions in violence are historic. Murders, robberies, shooting incidents and shooting victims have all reached record-low year-to-date levels in public housing.
Murders are down to 33 percent; robberies down nearly 19 percent; shootings down 36 percent; and shooting victims down nearly 39 percent. Burglaries are also down in housing, more than 15 percent year to date.
Moving on to retail theft, which is down more than 12 percent year to date, with nearly 5,000 fewer incidents compared to last year and reductions in all five boroughs. That progress reflects the same precision approach that we have applied across the department, identifying the locations and repeat offenders driving these crimes, concentrating resources where and when they are needed most and building sustained investigations to hold them accountable.
Hate crimes remain an area of serious concern, with confirmed incidents up 13 percent year to date. The most striking trend continues to be antisemitic hate crimes. So far this year, 53 percent of all confirmed hate crimes have targeted Jewish New Yorkers, despite Jews making up only roughly 10 percent of the city's population.
Those numbers are deeply concerning. Our Hate Crimes Task Force continues to aggressively investigate these incidents while we deploy additional resources to protect Jewish communities.
On the eve of the third anniversary of Oct. 7, we renew our pledge to Jewish institutions that they will not be left to protect themselves without a strong partner in the NYPD. This year, during the High Holy Days, we deployed an unprecedented number of officers to cover virtually every synagogue across the city.
Taken together, all of these results that we've just outlined show what is possible when we follow the data, when we deploy with precision and when we give our cops the tools and the resources that are needed to succeed.
We have driven shootings, shooting victims and murders to historic lows while reducing major crime across the city, and the work continues. We know where the challenges remain, and we will be adjusting our strategies, concentrating our resources and going after the people driving violence and disorder.
The men and women of the NYPD have delivered extraordinary results through the first nine months of this year. We intend to build on that progress through the end of 2026.
I will now turn it over to the architect of many of the strategies that I just outlined, our chief of Department, Chief LiPetri.
Chief Michael J. LiPetri, Chief of Department, Police Department: Good afternoon. Mr. Mayor, Police Commissioner, and I especially want to thank all the bureau chiefs and deputy commissioners who work tirelessly every day to make New York safe. You know, the mayor talked about the summer and the challenges that, you know, we faced as a department, but I just want to put some things in perspective.
Just a few years ago, from 3 p.m. on a Friday till 7 o'clock on a Monday, the weekend violence in New York City was unacceptable. We averaged approximately 25 shootings just in those three and a half days. This year, we have less than seven shootings on weekends, and I tie it to a number of things; but I can't say enough about the young men and women that are out there every single day in some of the tougher areas in New York City.
When you look at Bronx South and you look at Brooklyn North; when we say Bronx South, you're talking about communities of Morrisania, Claremont, Highbridge, Hunts Point, down over 20 percent in shootings in Bronx South.
When you're looking at Brooklyn North and you talk about the communities of East New York, Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, also down over 20 percent in shootings.
If I highlight the 42 Precinct, which covers Morrisania and Claremont, down 39 percent in shootings, up over 30 percent in gun arrests.
If you look at Bedford-Stuyvesant, the 7-9 Precinct, down 53 percent in shootings, up 20 percent in gun arrests. That's what drives violence. And that's what we continue to go after: individuals carrying firearms.
Back in 2022, when we took a hard look at what was going on in New York City, you're talking about two straight years of over 1,800 shooting victims — almost 1,900 shooting victims. And what we did was we took a block — literally — a block-to-block analysis across New York City, without looking at any precinct boundaries.
We did that with very, very smart data scientists, programmers, crime analysts. We then built a program using cluster analysis for the next year in 2023. In 2022, when we started the violence reduction zones in the summer, though the city had 1,294 shootings, those zones were down almost 40 percent in shootings.
So, we said, why not do it better? Made a program of cluster analysis in New York City. Why not continue to do it? That's when our retail theft holiday zone started. That's where our school zone started, ultimately our summer zones, and now we transition into the holiday zones.
Almost 2,000 officers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday deployed into those areas. Most, if not all, working until 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. We had to make some tough decisions. We changed the zones, we changed our allotment, we changed our times. You graduate from the academy, unfortunately, you don't have weekends off. Because why? Because that's when, unfortunately, we take [on our] most violence.
So again, I just really want to thank the officers out there every day, the investigators that continue to investigate crimes. You know, we always talk about the Knicks, what went on in the summer. Those officers were not at the Knicks parade. They were still in their zones, walking a footpost in East New York, walking a footpost in Claremont.
The neighborhoods that see officers on every corner, every single day. And that's really what's behind the success, though we still have a lot of work to do. But I just want to say thank you to all the members of the service that are out there, both on the civilian side and the uniform side.
Thank you.
Question: Mayor, I know that the picture is looking pretty good — underground as well, coming out of the summer. But you’ve really yet to fully stand up your community safety program, which has a big subway focus. So, moving into the winter months, we know homeless individuals, individuals who suffer from mental health issues will go underground to stay warm. In the interim, even though you've expressed some skepticism about police overtime and police solving all the problems underground, would you be willing to commit more cops underground in the colder months if that proves necessary?
Mayor Mamdani: I think what we've seen is that our police department is not only doing the job that many New Yorkers have the full faith in; it is also setting an example for what it looks like to be unrelenting. Because what you've heard from the commissioner, what you heard from the chief, and what we have heard from leaders across departments in prior announcements is the fact that these are not only figures that are oftentimes better than last year. Sometimes these are figures that are the best that the city has ever seen.
And yet we also know that so long as there is a single murder, a single shooting, a single shooting victim in the city, that is one too many. And so, I have full trust and faith in our police commissioner and our police department to do what is necessary.
And also, when it comes to the colder months, we are going to do everything that we can to ensure that vulnerable New Yorkers, homeless New Yorkers, are finding a place to rest their head that is a bed, a shelter. And we are doing everything we can to increase our shelter capacity to ensure that no New Yorker feels that they have to sleep outside or sleep anywhere that is not an actual bed to find that kind of safety.
Question: It’s become not uncommon — from January, we see a surge. There's some sort of announcement with the governor and the mayor and the commissioner, and “we're giving overtime and there's more cops underground.” Is that an announcement you're willing to make if necessary?
Mayor Mamdani: Look, I'll say whenever it comes to the safety of the people of our city, we will explore every single measure in front of us. And also, we want to address systemic issues at a systemic level.
You've heard from the police commissioner of just how significant a number of the incidents on public transit are driven by individuals who have a previous, they have a previous engagement with the mental health system across our city. That means that there's an opportunity for us to do better when it comes to that kind of work. That's why we talk about a whole-of-government approach to all of this.
Police Commissioner Tisch: I'll just add one thing about our overtime numbers in transit. We, for the past two years, we have been fortunate to be funded for an overtime program that allows for 5,000 additional hours a day in overtime that started last year, and that has been the case this year and will continue to be the case. That's not being cut.
Question: This question’s for you, Mayor Mamdani. You brought up shelter capacity. I just wanted to ask about the Borden Avenue Veterans Shelter in Long Island City —
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wanted to ask, did your office sign off on the decision to reject FDA funding?
[Crosstalk.]
Mayor Mamdani: Your question is about the Borden Avenue Veterans Shelter. Yes, just in specific relation to that veteran's shelter, the services are continuing as they were. The switch of funding, where it used to come from the federal government — now that is not, that has not impacted any of the services that we're delivering at that shelter.
Question: For the commissioner or Chief LiPetri, do you see a nexus between the gang takedowns and the reduction of crime and arrests in Brooklyn South — Brooklyn North and South Bronx?
Chief LiPetri: Yeah, so, you know, we always talk about precision. We always talk about, you know, looking at the data. A full analysis is done prior to starting a case, meaning is that crew, you know, very violent, either being on the victim's side or the perpetrator's side in shootings. And then that's where we focus.
And when you look at the four or five gang crew takedowns that gun violence and some of the violent squads across New York City has done, and then you look at those residences of where they frequent or those areas where they frequent, we see sharp, sharp decreases in violence.
So, it's an approach, you know, obviously, which is also focused on the zones across the city — 70 zones, 40 precincts — and we want our gang investigators to also focus in those zones.
Question: And also, just a second question, will there be a time where [inaudible] — will there be a time when these lasting barriers are coming down?
Chief LiPetri: I hope so, and I just — you know, again — never done before where we have experienced detectives taking petty larceny cases and making wanted flyers and making arrests. So again, it's an approach that has worked, and we're going to continue to drive retail theft down in New York City.
Question: The results are historic, no question about it. You said a moment ago that you know where the challenges remain. And I'm wondering where are those challenges as you see them, and where in particular do you like to see them?
Police Commissioner Tisch: Well, we can always do better. I outlined a few areas where we clearly have more work to do. I would love the transit numbers to be down this year. They're up slightly compared to last year. We know what's driving it. We know where it's being driven, and we are adjusting our strategies to focus on those felony assaults in transit.
Also, felony assaults above ground are problematic for us. In particular, in the category of felony assaults, we have real challenges with recidivism. So, one of the things that we have to do is work with the other stakeholders in the criminal justice system to address those issues. Thank you.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Police Commissioner Tisch: There are lots of different entities that make up the criminal justice system. There are judges and DAs and lawmakers. And so, yeah, when you see recidivism numbers like that, we all have to put our heads together and figure out the best way forward.
Question: Do you have a number of how many times these individuals — an average number — of how many times these individuals are getting arrested, and also what crimes? Is it assaults or is it other crimes they’re getting arrested for?
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, I gave you the specific numbers in my remarks on recidivism. If we focus specifically on transit in the area of felony — oh no, transit, recidivism — 214 of the 734 people arrested in transit this year for a major crime have three or more arrests in 2026.
Question: Is that also assaults or is that other crimes [inaudible]?
Police Commissioner Tisch: The chief will give you more information about it, but the numbers that I just gave you were for all arrests for all major crime in transit.
Chief LiPetri: I'll talk about felony assaults and recidivism. So, when you look at felony assaults and that individual [gets] arrested, we have over 300 individuals that have been arrested three or more times this year. If you go back just to 2019, it's over a 200 percent increase. So, obviously, recidivism is something that the police commissioner spoke about. It is something that we are dealing with, and we're always working very close with our prosecutors.
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