NYC Mayor Eric Adams had his faults, but one thing he apparently did right was hiring Jessica Tisch as the city’s police commissioner. Adams himself was a police officer in New York for over two decades, so he was familiar with the issues that would face his commissioner and made what appears to have been a good choice for the job.
Since Tisch has been commissioner, crime has come down fast. That’s part of a trend that has been taking place nationwide, but NYPD performance should be noted for its effectiveness in driving crime down in the city. The NYPD recently took a well-deserved victory lap to share its success, writing in a press release:
Major Crime Declined Nearly 7% Citywide Year to Date with Reductions in Every Borough
Historic Crime Reductions in Public Housing with Fewest Murders, Shooting Incidents, Shooting Victims, and Robberies Year to Date
846 Fewer People Shot This Year Compared to Just Five Years Ago
New York, New York – Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced that the NYPD delivered the fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders in recorded history for the first nine months of the year and in the third quarter.
Year to date, there were 489 shooting incidents, beating the previous record of 553 set in 2025. There were 594 shooting victims, beating the previous record of 694 set in 2018 and 2025, and there were 203 murders, beating the previous record of 215 set in 2017. Compared to 2021, 846 fewer people have been shot so far this year.
During the third quarter of 2026, there were 167 shooting incidents, beating the previous record of 216 set in 2025. There were 213 shooting victims, beating the previous record of 283 set in 2018, and there were 73 murders, beating the previous record of 79 set in 2017.
Major crime declined 9.4% (30,319 vs. 33,471) in the third quarter, and 6.6% (86,023 vs. 92,057) citywide so far this year with reductions in all five boroughs. The Bronx led the way with an 11.9% (20,751 vs. 23,545) decline compared to last year.
Since the start of the year, the NYPD has delivered historic lows across major crime categories in public housing, including murders, down 33.3% (16 vs. 24); shooting incidents, down 35.5% (71 vs. 110); shooting victims, down 38.6% (78 vs. 127); and robberies, down 18.5% (529 vs. 649).
“The NYPD delivered the fewest shooting incidents, shooting victims, and murders for the first nine months of any year in recorded history,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These reductions were achieved by the men and women of the New York City Police Department who bravely carried out our precision policing strategy. They did it while keeping this city safe through an unprecedented number of major events with monumental operational demands. New York City gave the NYPD an extraordinary test this year, and our cops answered it with historic results.”
“Over the first nine months of this year, New York City recorded the fewest murders, shooting incidents, and shooting victims in our city’s history, while major crime fell across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “I thank Police Commissioner Tisch, and the members of the NYPD, who continue to devote themselves to the work of devising and implementing strategies that keep New Yorkers safe. I am also grateful for our violence interrupters and crisis management teams for their efforts to tackle violence at its root cause. Together, we will build on this progress by continuing to invest in approaches that prevent crime and keep every New Yorker safe.”
While NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani stood next to Tisch as she delivered the news to reporters, his voter base in the Democratic Socialists of America demanded that he fire Tisch and kick ICE officers out of New York City.
DSA’s national program is clear. We must abolish ICE. An injury to one is an injury to all. https://t.co/DR0eIXv0H5
— DSA (@DemSocialists) October 11, 2026
Action Line: One has to wonder why anyone would want to fire a successful police commissioner who has restored a level of safety to America’s largest city that had felt absent since the #DEFUNDTHEPOLICE furor of the summer of 2020. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
