Gov. Hochul: Murder, shootings down, but larceny, other crimes rise

ALBANY — A new report published Wednesday shows homicides and shootings declined last year statewide — which Gov. Kathy Hochul said stands in contradiction with public perception.

But other “serious” crimes, such as assault, larceny and burglary, increased in 2022. And they are still higher than the historic lows hit in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hochul said the new statistics on murders and shootings show the state is “moving in the right direction” after a fast rise during the pandemic’s onset.

The Democrat also touted her proposal to give judges more leeway for setting bail for serious crimes. That puts her at odds with some fellow Democrats who say judges already have that power and maybe the answer is more judicial training.

The debate over bail is one of several key flashpoints for the governor, State Senate and Assembly as they work to meet an April 1 deadline for a new state budget.

Statewide, murders decreased 10% from 2021 to 2022, according to data provided by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. That included a 10% decline in New York City and an 11% decline elsewhere.

Shootings decreased 16% statewide year-over-year, including 17% in New York City and 15% among 20 other jurisdictions that report gun-violence data to the state, Hochul said. Rape also is down 5% statewide.

“We're seeing a positive reduction, back to closer to where we were before the pandemic, which is what we're striving for,” Hochul said. “Outside New York City, shootings have returned to pre-pandemic levels.”

That’s not the case for other serious crimes.

Larceny grew by 26% in 2022; car theft and robbery, 21% each; burglary, 16%; and aggravated assault, 9%.

Pivoting to bail, Hochul noted a study released last week by John Jay College showed recidivism overall has declined since the law was overhauled to eliminate bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

But the study also showed exceptions for defendants with “substantial criminal histories,” who showed higher rates of recidivism.

Hochul said this supports her call for eliminating a guideline that instructs judges to use the “least restrictive” option for ensuring a defendant returns for future court dates. She said it conflicts with provisions that allow a judge to consider a person’s criminal record when deciding to use bail and creates “confusion.”

Asked later why the state doesn’t mandate more training, Hochul aide Hazel Crampton-Hays said: “Judges shouldn't be trained to consider one part of the statute and ignore the other — the law should be fixed.”

Supporters of the bail law have noted that the head of the state court system has acknowledged that judges outside of the New York City Criminal Court don’t have mandated annual training. Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) introduced a bill mandating judges take annual training on the bail law.

"We don’t even know if our judges are keeping up with major changes in the law,” Hoylman-Sigal said at the time. He couldn’t reached for comment Wednesday.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy