NYPD touts drop in murders, shootings, robberies in 2018

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The New York Police Department is touting statistics that show significant downward trends in several major crime categories for 2018.

New York City's overall crime was lower in 2018 than in the previous year, according to city officials. The city had a modest decline in shooting incidents in 2018 and an 8 percent drop in robberies. The number of murders also dropped from the prior year and was in line with rates in the 1950s.

"The skill and dedication of the men and women of the NYPD are keeping New York City the safest big city in America," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement. "With stronger bonds of trust with the community created with neighborhood policing; a singular focus on violent crimes and those who commit them; and ever stronger coordination with our law enforcement partners, we can continue to drive crime down even lower in 2019."

Some stats from the NYPD:

• Lowest number of homicides recorded in the modern era, 289 compared to 292 in 2017.
• Robberies, burglaries, and grand larceny autos down when comparing 2018 versus 2017.
• Felony assaults and grand larcenies were up less than half of a percentage point when comparing 2017 to 2018.
• Shooting incidents were down 35 incidents, or 4.4%, when comparing 2017 to 2018.