New York ended 2020 with over 40% more homicides than 2019
New York City, long hailed for a tough-on-crime approach that transformed the city from a murder capital to what was touted as a model for proactive policing, finished the year with a more-than-40% murder spike compared to 2019.
Data posted by the New York Police Department showed 447 homicides having occurred year-to-date in the city by Dec. 27. That's compared to 317 for the same length of time in 2019, a 41% increase.
Those numbers do not take into account the final four days in the year. The final full week in New York City, meanwhile, saw 10 murders total, compared to 3 in 2019 - a 233% increase, the city police department noted.
New York's spike has occurred alongside highly elevated murder rates in cities nationwide, which occurred alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, months of lockdowns and shutdowns and resultant economic devastation, and major riots and unrest led by Black Lives Matter activism over the summer.
Those numbers do not take into account the final four days in the year. The final full week in New York City, meanwhile, saw 10 murders total, compared to 3 in 2019 - a 233% increase, the city police department noted.
New York's spike has occurred alongside highly elevated murder rates in cities nationwide, which occurred alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, months of lockdowns and shutdowns and resultant economic devastation, and major riots and unrest led by Black Lives Matter activism over the summer.