New technology and community engagement strategies have helped the city’s police force crack down on gun crime
New York City recorded its fewest shooting incidents for 25 years in 2016, narrowly missing setting a new record low for murders since comparable records began 25 years ago.
It comes as police officers in the city make fewer low-level arrests and have reduced their use of controversial stop-and-frisk powers.
Chief Dermot Shea, deputy commissioner for operations at NYPD, said a combination of technology, strategy and community engagement was paying off.
21st-century policing is data driven. It’s smarter. It’s more effective. It’s results-oriented, and it works
“Essentially this is what 21st-century policing looks like. It’s data driven. It’s smarter. It’s more effective. It’s results-oriented, and it works. If we are going to push crime further down in New York City, we believe it’s going to be through holding hands right alongside the people we serve.”
Some 335 murders took place in the city in 2016. The lowest number since comparable record keeping began for murders, in the 1960s, was 333 in 2014. The all-time high was 2,245 in 1990.
