NYPD June update: shootings spike, fewer yearly arrests, Brooklyn chief promoted

July 7, 2020 Editorial Staff

Jeffrey B. Maddrey, the longtime chief of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, has been promoted to the position of Chief of Community Affairs. Photo: Wong Maye-E/AP File

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Gun violence, burglaries and auto thefts increased this month, according to data released by the NYPD, while overall arrests have dropped so far this year. Commissioner Dermot Shea weighed in on budget cuts and the pandemic, and promoted Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Chief Jeffrey B. Maddrey to Chief of Community Affairs.

For the month of June 2020, the number of people victimized by gun violence and murder in New York City spiked significantly, when compared to the same period in 2019. Between June 1 and June 30, there was a 130 percent increase in the number of shooting incidents across the city (205 v. 89) as the number of shootings rose in every borough of New York. The number of people murdered citywide increased to 39 v. 30, (+ 30 percent) for the month, while the number of burglaries increased to 1,783 v. 817 (+118 percent) and the number of auto thefts increased to 696 v. 462 (+51 percent) citywide, according to the NYPD.

While the NYPD has made approximately 40,000 fewer overall arrests so far this year compared with last year, gun arrests year-to-date as of July 5 are 1,679 vs. 1,683, the department reported.

“The sharp increase in shootings and violence in New York puts innocent people at risk and tears at the fabric of life in our city,” said NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. “The challenges are great for an NYPD facing the strain of deep budget cuts, changes to the criminal justice system that are impacting the courts and the continuing international health pandemic. But through it all, I have seen our hardworking men and women display an unwavering commitment to the kind of fair and effective policing that defines our agency and that New Yorkers expect and deserve.”

Increase in shootings

New York City has seen an increase in gunfire in the last month – measured in the number of separate shooting incidents occurring across the city, and, more concerning, in the number of victims injured and killed. For the first weeks of June, the number of shootings in the city more than doubled compared to the same period a year ago. Through June 30, overall shootings citywide rose to 205 – with 270 victims. Currently, the number of parolees involved in shooting incidents or murders is at a 15-year high. Meanwhile, from January through the end of June, more than 2,000 people arrested in a crime with a gun recovered had cases against them that remain open in the courts, the NYPD said.

Ongoing challenges

The NYPD is enduring a round of budget cuts that have led to a class of 1,163 recruits being canceled. The department has also seen an increase in retirements. Offenders no longer eligible for bail are being rearrested: they have been rearrested for approximately 750 additional major felonies through June 26, compared with the population of those released in the same period a year ago, the department reported.

Brooklyn chief promoted

Last month, Commissioner Shea announced a series of personnel changes meant to position the department for 21st-century policing by strengthening the bonds between officers and residents. He promoted Jeffrey B. Maddrey, the longtime chief of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, to the position of Chief of Community Affairs, at a moment of historic importance in the relationship between the police and the public.

Key highlights from this month’s crime statistics:

Murder is up +23.1 percent (181 v. 147) for the first six months of 2020 when compared to the first six months of 2019.
There were 205 citywide shooting incidents in June 2020, compared to 89 shooting incidents in June 2019, a 130.3 percent increase. Year-to-date, through June 30, there is a +46 percent spike in citywide shooting incidents (528 v. 362).
Burglary increased +118.2 percent (1,783 v. 817) in June and is up +46.3 percent (7,234 v. 4,943) year-to-date through June 30.
For the month of June, rape decreased by -21 percent (109 v. 138). Rape continues to be underreported. The NYPD Special Victims Division’s 24-hour hotline is 212-267-RAPE (7273).
Year-to-date, through June 28, citywide hate crimes declined -38 percent (134 v. 212).