Photo credit: Neighborhood Coordinator Officers Aquino and Payamps hosting their Safety Meeting courtesy of Facebook
For the first time in over a decade, the city that never sleeps went an entire weekend without a single shooting reported, according to the NYPD.
The lackluster weekend in gunfire has been contributed to a noticeable decrease in overall crime attributed to the NYPD’s strategy in training, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Last month’s crime statistics showed an overall drop in robberies, felony assaults and burglaries. Shooting incidents were down by 11.4 percent and a 4.7 percent decrease compared to 2017.
The NYPD has factored this reduction to both an increase in uniformed officers and implemented strategies in policing.
“From traffic agents to patrol cops, from Intel analysts to counterterrorism experts, the NYPD does a tremendous job of safeguarding all the visitors to our great city, while balancing the absolute need to relentlessly fight crime and keep New Yorkers safe in every neighborhood,” Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a press release statement.
Another tactic the NYPD credits is their new neighborhood policing program (NCO). The program both encourages officers to strengthen bonds with the communities they patrol and improves communication and collaboration between local police officers and community residents, according to the NYPD website.
Though there were 600 shootings across all five boroughs this year so far, it’s still a 2 percent decrease compared to this time last year, according to the NYPD statistics.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the shots-free weekend “amazing”.
“A city of 8.6 million people – not a single shooting for three days,” the mayor said.
