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Mayors

Mayor Adams Credits Experience Over Progressive Policies for NYC Crime Drop

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Mayor Eric Adams has attributed the significant drop in crime in New York City to his experience, rather than progressive public safety policies, in a veiled dig at democratic socialist challenger Zohran Mamdani. At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams listed several ideas he claimed would make the city less safe, including defunding the police, decarceration, and not hiring more police officers. Mamdani has criticized the NYPD and opposed specific aspects of its budget and tactics, and has instead proposed dispatching social workers and public health professionals to handle some responsibilities currently carried out by NYPD officers.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mayor Eric Adams credits his experience, not "experiment," for the city's ongoing drop in crime.
  • Adams criticized progressive public safety ideas, including defunding the police, decarceration, and not hiring more police officers, suggesting they would make the city less safe.
  • Democratic socialist challenger Zohran Mamdani has criticized the NYPD and opposed specific aspects of its budget and tactics.
  • Mamdani proposed dispatching social workers and public health professionals to handle some responsibilities currently carried out by NYPD officers.
  • The Adams administration reported a 6% drop in major crime in the first six months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
  • Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited a deployment strategy placing officers in 72 "violence reduction zones" around the city for the drop in crime.
  • Felony assaults, a stubbornly increasing crime trend since the pandemic, remain high, but may be starting to trend downward.
  • Crime remains higher than it was before the pandemic and above levels seen during former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.

Statistics:

  • Major crime fell 6% in the first six months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
  • Shootings dropped 30% in June, with fewer than 400 shooting victims citywide so far this year, the lowest ever recorded in the first half of a year.
  • Subway crime dropped to its lowest level since 2010, aside from pandemic years.
  • There were 1,058 major subway crimes in the first six months of this year, the lowest number of transit crimes recorded since 2010, except for the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
  • Felony assaults, a stubbornly increasing crime trend since the pandemic, show a possible decline, with an 8% drop in June.

Sources:

  • Gothamist: "Rank Choice Ballot Count Gives Zohran Mamdani Even Bigger Win in NYC Mayoral Primary"
  • Gothamist: "Liberal Mayoral Candidates Ditch 'Defund the Police' Amid NYC Public Safety Angst"
  • Gothamist: "The NYPD Has Stopped Tens of Thousands of People Under Mayor Adams - Just 5 Were White"
  • Gothamist: "How Elite Anti-Terror Squad Transformed NYPD's Approach to Protest Policing"
  • Gothamist: "Protesters Trapped by NYPD During 2020 Black Lives Matter Protest Will Get $215K Each, According to New Settlement"

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