Share This Article
The public discussion of crime in the city has long focused on the seven major felonies—murder, rape, robbery, burglary, felony assault, grand larceny and grans larceny of an automobile—because those are the most serious crimes and the ones the city reports to the FBI. When someone refers to the “crime rate,” they’re talking about how often those seven crimes occur.
During the 2017 campaign, hoping to make the case that crime and disorder are on the rise under Mayor de Blasio despite the decrease in the crime rate, Republican nominee Nicole Malliotakis has drawn attention to increases in other crimes, some of which have increased during the mayor’s term.
The fact is, neither the top-line numbers on the seven major felonies nor a focus on a few cherry-picked lower-level crimes gives a complete picture of crime in New York City. (And of course, we’re talking here about reported and recorded crimes. Now and in the past, some crimes have gone unreported, and some have not been properly recorded by the police.)
Courtesy of the NYPD, here is a detailed breakdown of crime reports over the 2013 to 2016 period, covering the last year under Mayor Bloomberg and the first three full years under the current mayor. There are some increases. But the overall picture is of a decrease in crime.
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | CHANGE 13-16 | ||
| 7 Major Felonies | Murder & Non-Negl. Manslaughter | 335 | 333 | 352 | 335 | 0.00% |
| Rape | 1,378 | 1,352 | 1,438 | 1,438 | 4.35% | |
| Robbery | 19,128 | 16,539 | 16,931 | 15,500 | -18.97% | |
| Felony Assault | 20,297 | 20,207 | 20,270 | 20,847 | 2.71% | |
| Burglary | 17,429 | 16,765 | 15,125 | 12,990 | -25.47% | |
| Grand Larceny | 45,368 | 43,862 | 44,005 | 44,279 | -2.40% | |
| Grand Larceny Of Motor Vehicle | 7,400 | 7,664 | 7,332 | 6,327 | -14.50% | |
| Total Seven Major Felony Offenses | 111,335 | 106,722 | 105,453 | 101,716 | -8.64% | |
| Other felonies | Felony Possession Of Stolen Property | 689 | 1,090 | 904 | 769 | 11.61% |
| Forgery/Theft_Fraud/Identity Theft | 9,493 | 9,520 | 10,400 | 11,079 | 16.71% | |
| Arson | 1,187 | 1,205 | 1,026 | 802 | -32.43% | |
| Felony Sex Crimes | 1,073 | 1,135 | 1,152 | 1,336 | 24.51% | |
| Felony Dangerous Drugs | 19,571 | 17,113 | 15,279 | 14,712 | -24.83% | |
| Felony Dangerous Weapons | 5,155 | 4,605 | 4,848 | 5,465 | 6.01% | |
| Fel. Criminal Mischief & Related Offenses | 7,468 | 8,466 | 9,253 | 9,966 | 33.45% | |
| Other Felonies (4) | 13,014 | 13,735 | 13,658 | 14,217 | 9.24% | |
| Total Non-Seven Major Felony Offenses | 57,650 | 56,869 | 56,520 | 58,346 | 1.21% | |
| Misdemeanors | Misdemeanor Possession Of Stolen Property | 2,337 | 1,469 | 1,145 | 932 | -60.12% |
| Misdemeanor Sex Crimes | 4,064 | 4,246 | 4,555 | 4,947 | 21.73% | |
| Misdemeanor Dangerous Drugs | 55,529 | 52,835 | 38,471 | 35,982 | -35.20% | |
| Misdemeanor Dangerous Weapons | 6,522 | 6,166 | 5,685 | 5,006 | -23.24% | |
| Petit Larceny | 85,602 | 85,121 | 81,598 | 81,274 | -5.06% | |
| Assault 3 & Related Offenses | 53,738 | 53,847 | 42,654 | 42,422 | -21.06% | |
| Intoxicated & Impaired Driving | 8,238 | 7,875 | 5,933 | 5,964 | -27.60% | |
| Vehicle And Traffic Laws | 6,106 | 5,841 | 6,266 | 6,580 | 7.76% | |
| Misd. Criminal Mischief & Related Offenses | 36,765 | 38,793 | 39,606 | 38,893 | 5.79% | |
| Criminal Trespass | 13,459 | 14,540 | 11,473 | 9,799 | -27.19% | |
| Unauthorized Use Of A Vehicle | 1,491 | 1,704 | 1,601 | 1,809 | 21.33% | |
| Offenses Against The Person | 1,380 | 1,334 | 1,293 | 1,225 | -11.23% | |
| Offenses Against Public Administration | 10,687 | 10,303 | 9,405 | 8,929 | -16.45% | |
| Administrative Code | 1,019 | 1,011 | 985 | 942 | -7.56% | |
| Frauds | 4,936 | 5,331 | 4,788 | 4,640 | -6.00% | |
| Aggravated Harassment 2 | 26,972 | 19,725 | 20,511 | 21,328 | -20.93% | |
| Other Misdemeanors | 40,505 | 38,230 | 46,879 | 44,253 | 9.25% | |
| Total Misdemeanor Offenses | 359,350 | 348,371 | 322,848 | 314,925 | -12.36% | |
| Total crimes | 528335 | 511962 | 484821 | 474987 | -10.10% |