NYPD announces safest summer; Bronx leads with major crime decline

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Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced on Thursday that the NYPD delivered the safest summer for shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders in recorded history.

NYPD says from June 1 through Aug. 31, there were 195 shooting incidents, 32 fewer than the previous record low of 227 set in 2025. There were 249 shooting victims, 44 fewer than the previous record low of 293 set in 2018, and there were 66 murders, 12 fewer than the previous record low of 78 set in 2017.

According to the report, major crime declined by 6.6% (10,276 vs. 11,000) citywide in August with 724 fewer crimes compared to August 2025.

The Bronx continues to lead the city in major crime declines, with an 11.9% (18,369 vs. 20,846) reduction year to date.

The NYPD also report they delivered record low violent crime in the subway system with zero shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, or rapes for the entire month of August. Robberies in transit also fell to their lowest level on record for the month, with 27 incidents compared to the previous record low of 35 in 2016.

“The NYPD delivered both the safest summer and first eight months of the year for shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders in recorded history,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These historic lows all happened while managing an unprecedented series of high-profile events, including the NBA Finals, the World Cup, Sail 250, and the largest Fourth of July celebration in the nation. The city’s public safety milestones extended to our subway system and public housing, reaching record lows in gun violence, murders, rapes, and robberies in August. This progress is only possible because of the extraordinary work of the men and women of the NYPD, and I am deeply grateful for their commitment to keeping New York City safe.”

Here's more from the report:

Historic Lows in Shooting Incidents

Citywide shooting incidents and shooting victims fell to their lowest levels in recorded history for the first eight months of the year and in August.

Year to date, shooting incidents decreased by 9.6% (442 vs. 489) and shooting victims decreased by 11.9% (538 vs. 611). For the month of August, shooting incidents declined 20.8% (61 vs. 77) and shooting victims declined 37.7% (76 vs. 122).

In 2026, NYPD detectives have carried out 25 gang-related takedowns and seized more than 3,630 illegal guns.

The Bronx Leads the City in Major Crime Declines

The Bronx continues to lead all five boroughs in year-to-date major crime reductions, with an 11.9% (18,369 vs. 20,846) decrease. Year to date, auto theft in the Bronx was down 29.2% (2,161 vs. 3,051) and grand larceny was down 14.6% (5,265 vs. 6,167).

In August, major crime in the Bronx fell 10.5% (2,409 vs. 2,693), with double-digit declines across multiple index crime categories. Auto theft dropped 36.2% (268 vs. 420), murder dropped 35.7% (9 vs. 14), shooting victims dropped 31.8% (30 vs. 44), shooting incidents dropped 22.2% (21 vs. 27), rape dropped 18% (41 vs. 50), and grand larceny dropped 14.9% (710 vs. 834).

Major Crime Reductions

In August, major crime decreased 6.6% (10,276 vs. 11,000) citywide compared to August 2025. Year to date, major crime decreased by 6.2% (75,945 vs. 80,953).

Additionally, across major crime categories:

Murder declined 34.3% (23 vs. 35) in August and 24.1% (173 vs. 228) year to date. Manhattan recorded only two murders for August and continues to have the fewest murders year to date in recorded history;
Auto theft declined 16.2% (1,136 vs. 1,356) in August and 12.8% (8,049 vs. 9,227) year to date;
Robbery declined 13.3% (1,224 vs. 1,411) in August and 11.9% (8,903 vs. 10,110) year to date.
Burglary declined 9.1% (951 vs. 1,046) in August, the lowest on record, and 13.9% (7,316 vs. 8,494) year to date;
Grand larceny declined 6.5% (4,103 vs. 4,389) in August and 5% (29,881 vs. 31,450) year to date;
Rape declined 1.7% (170 vs. 173), the second consecutive month with a decrease. Year to date, rapes increased 3.2% (1,423 vs. 1,379), driven in large part by reports of crimes that occurred in prior years – 26% (364) of all rapes reported this year occurred in prior years. In September 2024, legislative changes enacted through the Rape is Rape Act rightfully broadened the legal definition of rape in New York State to include additional forms of sexual assault. Of the crimes reported this year, 20% (284) fall under the expanded definition of rape created by the Rape is Rape Act. Through the creation of the first-in-the-nation Gender-Based Violence Policy and Training Unit, the NYPD has enhanced its work with advocates to encourage all survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report these incidents.
Felony assault increased 3.1% (2,669 vs. 2,590) in August and 0.7% (20,200 vs. 20,065) year to date. The NYPD has made arrests on 77.8% of all felony assault cases in 2026, and so far this year, 263 unique individuals have been arrested three or more times for felony assaults – a 205.6% increase compared to the same period in 2018 (263 vs. 86).

Safest Year So Far in Public Housing

In August, major crime decreased by 5.7% (482 vs. 511) in public housing developments across the city. Shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, rapes, and robberies were at their lowest levels in recorded history for August. There were zero murders in public housing in the entire month of August, and shooting incidents dropped 65% (7 vs. 20), shooting victims dropped 73.1% (7 vs. 26), rape dropped 53.3% (7 vs. 15), and robbery dropped 27.5% (50 vs. 69).

Major crime declined 6% (3,664 vs. 3,899) year to date compared to the same period last year. Year to date, shooting incidents, shooting victims, murders, and robberies all declined double-digits and fell to their lowest levels in recorded history. Shooting incidents dropped 40.6% (60 vs. 101), shooting victims dropped 44.4% (65 vs. 117), murder dropped 52% (11 vs. 23), and robbery dropped 20.2% (469 vs. 588).

Keeping the Subways Safe

Major crime in the city’s vast subway system decreased by 8.4% (163 vs. 178) in August and 0.3% (1,439 vs. 1,443) year to date. During the month of August, there were zero murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims, and rapes, while robberies fell to their lowest levels in recorded history for the month.

The decrease in transit crime was largely driven by a 30.8% (27 vs. 39) decrease in robberies, which made up 16.6% of all transit crimes, and a 10.2% (88 vs. 98) decrease in grand larcenies, which made up 53.3% of all transit crimes in August.

Violence Reduction Zones

To further reduce violent crime and shootings across the city, the department launched its Summer Violence Reduction Plan on May 4 — deploying officers in the times and locations where violence and disorder are most concentrated and likely to occur. Since the initiative began, major crime was down 23.2% (1,659 vs. 2,160), shooting incidents were down 33.3% (46 vs. 69), robberies were down 30% (409 vs. 584), and shooting victims were down 27.8% (65 vs. 90), and major crime in public housing was down 22.1% (162 vs. 208) in the zones during deployment hours.

Combating Hate Crimes

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force (HCTF) investigates allegations of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents. After an incident is flagged as a possible hate crime, the HCTF investigates and determines, in consultation with the NYPD Legal Bureau, whether it constitutes a hate crime under New York State law. If an incident is deemed a hate crime under the law, it will be categorized as a confirmed hate crime. The NYPD provides data on confirmed hate crimes along with all reported hate crimes regardless of whether they are ultimately confirmed as hate crimes by the HCTF. The disclosure of both sets of numbers enhances transparency and reflects best practices in hate crime reporting.

Year to date, the number of confirmed overall hate crimes increased 15.8% (425 vs. 367), with 58 more confirmed hate crime incidents compared to last year. For the month, there were 45 confirmed hate crimes and 62 incidents reported as hate crimes.

In August, confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes decreased by 13.6% (19 vs. 22) compared to the same period last year. Year to date, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 8% (229 vs. 212) and accounted for more than half of the confirmed hate crimes for the first eight months of the year (53.9%) despite Jewish New Yorkers making up only 10% of the city’s population.