Crime is down in NYC, but ‘We who live here wish we could feel that’

New Yorkers are filing more complaints about crime than they have in a decade, despite figures from police officials that show major crimes like robberies, rapes and murders are down compared to last winter.

Criminologists said 2024’s 10-year-high in overall complaints — fueled by other crimes like shoplifting, drug sales and harassment — is a big reason New Yorkers continue to feel unsafe, even as officials boast of progress across major crime categories.

According to data published by the NYPD, crimes in those categories — murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto — are down about 15% so far this year compared to the same time in 2024.

“When I see an increase in all complaints, but a decrease in specific crimes, I read that as the public responding to a sense of disorder in public spaces,” said Fritz Umbach, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The data, last updated Feb. 23, shows about 2,600 fewer victims in the seven major crime categories compared to early 2024. Among the crime categories, only rapes have increased, rising by a substantial 33%, or 66 rapes. Felony assault, which had been steadily increasing in recent years, declined by 6%.

“Whether on the streets or below ground on the subway, New Yorkers are seeing real results,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement this week. “We’re going to continue to make our city safer by listening to our communities, analyzing real-time data and deploying our resources where they are needed most.”

In what’s become a continued bright spot in the crime figures, the number of reported shootings has decreased compared to last winter. Through Feb. 23, they’ve dropped by 18%, or by 19 shootings, compared to the same period in 2024. Tisch said there were fewer shootings in the first two months of the year than at any time in the past 30 years.

Murders in early 2025 declined significantly — by 23% or eight murders — compared to the same time last year, according to the NYPD data.

But a discussion of similar figures provided little comfort to Greenwich Village residents at a meeting with NYPD officials last week.

"We who live here wish we could feel that," said resident Jane Gottlieb, who said the decline in major crimes didn't make her feel safe.

Another resident, Alan Cohen, attributed his concerns about safety to bail and discovery reforms enacted in 2020 that made it harder for police and prosecutors to jail people before sentencing.

“The laws that were passed make it impossible to complete the task,” he said.

The total number of complaints received by the NYPD in 2024 topped 565,000, a higher level than any time in the past decade, department data shows. It’s a 2% increase over the amount of complaints received in 2023 and a 23% increase over the amount in 2019.

Umbach, the John Jay criminologist, said an increase in the number of people making police reports was concerning. He pointed to the NYPD’s 6% drop in felony assaults as a positive step, but said more data is needed to assess the trend.

“Six percent drop, when the base number [3,745] is so large, is real,” Umbach said. “I'd want to see another few months before I declared a trend, but it's a start.”

Umbach said that the rising number of complaints could indicate growing issues related to homelessness and mental illness — trends he and his colleagues have been monitoring more closely.