Adams: Drop in NYC shootings shows anti-crime plan working

Shootings in New York City — despite high-profile killings and others wounded in recent weeks — have been in steady decline during the same period, according to NYPD statistics.

It's a rare piece of positive crime news for Mayor Eric Adams, who along with new NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, have spent the first part of 2022 attempting to stem a surge in violent offenses. On Monday, Adams gave credit to cops and his own anti-crime policies for the reduction in shootings.

After initial increases at the beginning of the year, shootings have fallen by nearly 10% in the past two months compared with the same time period in 2021, Adams said at a Brooklyn news conference Monday touting NYPD efforts at curbing the gun violence.

He urged lawmakers to put an end to bail reform laws so that judges can keep dangerous felons in jail, and decried the easy access to guns. Adams also expressed concerns about an anticipated U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a concealed-carry case brought by the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association, and its potential impact on access to guns in the city.

“Sometime I feel with some lawmakers that they are just not dealing with reality,” said Adams. “Idealism replaces realism … I have had lawmakers say to me 'Kids carry guns because they feel unsafe.' So, we should understand that they carry guns? No! No! It is not understandable.”

The city shooting trends began to decline in early spring, although the drop has been tempered by high-profile fatal shootings on the streets and in the subways.

In March, the NYPD rolled out hundreds of officers in small teams to high-crime neighborhoods and public housing areas — a key component of a strategy by Adams and Sewell to slow gun violence. And just last week, the mayor announced the formation of a New York City gun violence task force to be co-chaired by a deputy mayor and a Brooklyn violence interrupter.

Adams and NYPD brass Monday touted the downward violence trends in New York City, although overall serious crime is still at a pace nearly 40% above last year. The mayor took some of the credit for the stepped-up neighborhood patrol teams, which have fanned out across the city but also raised initial concerns about a return to aggressive policing.

“I am focused, I knew we were doing the right thing," Adams said.

Progress on violence is tenuous, the mayor continued, given the fact that the city is approaching the traditional high shooting months and the Supreme Court ruling that legal experts believe could lead to eased restrictions on carrying concealed weapons in New York State.

“It is frightening to think we are even thinking about that,” Adams said.

Overall, serious felonies such as rape, robbery and grand larceny have continued to increase, hitting levels about 36% above the same period in 2020. However, homicides have decreased by 8.7% so far this year compared with 2021.

NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at the news conference that detectives have been targeting specific crews of gang members who are responsible for violence.

“With these cases, hopefully goes a long, long way to bringing down the violence in this city,” Essig said.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.