Killings up a bit from ’17
Murders jumped in August as the city swings toward fall, but the overall crime rate remained down for the year, the city's top cop said Tuesday.
When August came to a close, cops were investigating 23 killings — up six from August 2017, NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at an NYPD stat briefing at police headquarters. That's a jump of 35%.
At the same time, the number of shootings dropped last month, from 83 in August 2017 to 76 — and the overall crime rate for the year is down by 1%, police said.
“As we shift from summer to fall and our city's children return to school, it's important for all 8.6 million New Yorkers to renew their commitment to helping the NYPD keep safe every block, in every neighborhood,” O'Neill (below) said in a statement.
“We'll continue to do that, together, by sharing the responsibility for public safety.”
As of Sept. 2, cops were investigating 197 homicides in 2018 — five more than the 192 they investigated the same time last year, a nearly 3% jump.
Rape reports also jumped last month, by 24%, officials said.
On Aug. 31, the NYPD had investigated 153 rapes — 30 more than in August 2017.
Cops did see a jump in car thefts, however.
At the end of August, the police were investigating 643 vehicle thefts in the five boroughs — 24 more than August 2017.
Robberies, assaults and burglaries also dropped in August, when compared to August 2017.