A year after a most violent summer in New York City, the tide seems to have finally turned against violent crime — and street gangs.
The murder rate plunged nearly 50%, and shootings fell by 35%, during the month of July, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea reported at an Aug. 5 briefing. That comes on the strength of hundreds of gun arrests and a number of recent street gang takedowns as police and prosecutors work together to take “the worst of the worst off the streets,” as Shea put it.
“We had some real challenges but we also saw some extraordinary successes from the NYPD,” de Blasio said. “July is one of the toughest months of the year in the middle of summer. And yet the NYPD rose to the challenge and fought back gun violence.”
