NYPD touts removing 3,200+ guns off NYC streets so far this year
The NYPD touted progress in its fight against illegal guns in New York City Tuesday, announcing that so far this year more than 3,000 guns have been seized.
"We crossed that 3,000 gun mark on July 27, less than two months after reaching 2,000 guns in early June. And since then, our cops have recovered more than 200 additional firearms, bringing this year's total to more than 3,200 guns so far," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Tisch said it was a direct result of the NYPD's precision policing strategy, and is showing results.
Watch the full NYPD news conference
"The numbers are so clear. Through the first seven months of this year, New York City recorded the fewest murders, shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history. Major crime is down nearly 7% citywide, and public housing recorded its safest first seven months since tracking began, with the fewest murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims and robberies on record," Tisch said. "Those crime reductions are the product of the work of NYPD cops but they are also the product of partnerships that allow us to move quickly, to share intelligence and to build stronger cases."
Tisch said that a small number of repeat offenders are "responsible for a disproportionate share of the shootings."
Tisch pointed to the Gun Violence Strategy Partnership, involving more than 30 law enforcement partners, meet every day "to share intelligence, to review recent violent felony arrests, and focus their combined resources on the people driving gun violence in New York City."
Tisch said the combined partnership "is driving shootings to historic lows and saving lives across New York City and, let me be clear, we are not letting up."
"The Gun Violence Strategies Partnership, led by the NYPD, together with every federal, state and local enforcement agency in New York City and beyond, is a national model partnership; a truly unprecedented 'team of teams' that helped take more than 3,000 guns off the streets so far this year," said New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Director Chauncey Parker. "The GVSP team demonstrates every day what is possible when we work together — side-by-side — to achieve a common North Star and work together to keep the perpetrators of gun violence off our streets. This collaboration is strong and continues to get stronger. The GVSP serves as a promising model for new partnerships in government beyond public safety."
"That's 3,000 fewer weapons that can be used to terrorize neighborhoods, and countless tragedies stopped before they could happen because law enforcement took action," said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"Through the partnership, we can share intelligence and coordinate resources, which allows us to hold the most significant drivers of gun violence accountable. That work, paired with our targeted community investments and support for victims and witnesses, is why we have seen a historic drop in homicides and shootings over the past several years," said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
