NEW YORK — COVID cases aren’t the only number up in New York; the city saw 479 murders in 2021 as of Sunday.
The last time New York had more than 500 murders in a year was 2011. While the NYPD has not put out an updated total since Sunday, there have been several murders in the days since.
There were 462 murders in 2020, which was a huge increase from 2019, which saw 319 murders.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has attributed a rise in crime to failings in the court system connected to the pandemic. He’ll soon be replaced by Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who was voted in, in part, based on his characterization as a law-and-order candidate.
Adams worked in the NYPD before he turned to politics. He picked Keechant Sewell to head up the police department.
Mayor-elect Adams has said he wants beat cops back on the streets. He’s also called for the return of more plainclothes, anti-crime officers. Some of the city’s anti-crime units were disbanded over concerns of their use of force.
Adams believes they can be brought back with better oversight and increased training.
