NYPD Crime Stats Show 166% Increase In Shootings Citywide In August, With 1 In 4 Happening In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Big Apple notched another huge increase in gun crimes last month as the NYPD's chief of crime control strategies says the agency is coping with the lowest number of cops on the street the in six years.
With gun violence skyrocketing in the city, 26% of shooting incidents in August were in just five Brooklyn precincts. The violence is terrifying residents, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday.
People in the community are afraid.
"There is too much killing. I'm tired of it. Every night there's guns shooting," Flatbush resident Avie Pope said.
"Let's stop the violence. We have grandchildren, children, daughters, sons and it's just gonna get worse if something's not done," resident Mitchell Rapp added.
They are fearful because bloodshed and gun violence continue to plague the city.
LINK: Tracking Shootings In NYC
There was a 166% increase in shooting incidents last month -- 242 compared to 91 in August 2019. There was an increase in every borough except Staten Island. In addition, murders are up 47% for the month, 53 versus 36 in 2019.
The increase comes as the NYPD has seen a dramatic drop in manpower due to the combination of the $1 billion in defund-the-police budget cuts, no overtime, no new police class, and a dramatic increase in the number of police officers retiring.
"We have calculated that approximately 2,000 to 3,000, maybe even 4,000 less officers are out on the streets for any given week," said Michael LiPetri, the NYPD's chief of crime control strategies.
LiPetri said those five Brooklyn precincts were greatly affected by the loss of overtime.
"That's where the overtime was going last summer. The overtime was going to the most violent commands in New York City," LiPetri said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he is putting his faith in community violence interrupters, known as Cure Violence groups.
"We've seen stunning success in the past. We know it will take root here again. But everyone is still trying to come back from a massive disruption. We're not going to see an overnight turnaround," de Blasio said.
A.T. Mitchell is with the Cure Violence group "Man Up."
"It's something that we can't take personal responsibility, which is an entire precinct's stats. Our work is concentrated in very small target areas," Mitchell said.
The NYPD said it is sending additional manpower to the most violent precincts and it is proud of the fact that gun arrests have increased.
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