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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2017
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

CRIME AT NYCHA DOWN BY 7% IN 2017, DECREASES IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS

NYCHA announces 2017 progress on crime and safety in public housing.

No murders have taken place at NYCHA developments in Staten Island in 2017.

MAP program has installed over 6,200 lights to deter crime at 14 NYCHA developments.

NEW YORK — Today, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced major progress in addressing and reducing crime in public housing, city-wide. In recent years, NYCHA has redoubled its efforts to improve safety and security throughout the Authority through partnerships with the Mayor Office of Criminal Justice, NYPD and residents. NYCHA has achieved a 7% drop in crime in 2017 alone, with crime dropping in all five boroughs.

“Resident safety is our top priority,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “Through NextGen NYCHA, we have invested in our communities and these crime stats show we are making strong progress.”

“The partnership between NYPD and NYCHA is critical to addressing crime and safety issues in public housing,” said NYPD Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “Our police officers remain focused on continuing to push down crime even further as 2017 comes to a close, and engaging residents to ensure all New Yorkers live in safe and secure communities.”

2017 Crime and Safety Highlights

  • Overall crime at NYCHA is down 6.8% when compared to 2016 and more importantly violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, assault) is also down 6.8%.
  • PSA 2 (40 developments in Brooklyn) has experienced a 17.4% drop in crime (60% drop in murder, 47.8% drop in rape, 10% drop in robberies and an 18% drop in felony assault).
  • There have been no murders at NYCHA developments in Staten Island in 2017.
  • Improved and increased data sharing between NYCHA and NYPD has reduced the amount of time, by almost 50%, required to resolve tenancy legal cases.

 

Crime is down across NYCHA

  • NYCHA-wide: Crime is down 6.8% as compared to 2016 (YTD December 10, 2017)
  • Staten Island: Crime is down 21.8%
  • Brooklyn: Crime is down 10.7%
  • Manhattan: Crime is down 5.7%
  • Bronx: Crime is down 2.6%
  • Queens: Crime is down 2.2%
  • Crime is down across all seven major felony areas

 

“In 2017, we made great progress in combating serious crime and safety issues across the Authority,” said NYCHA Vice President for Public Safety Gerald Nelson. “The Mayor’s Action Plan and our partnerships with NYPD and residents are critical to improving resident quality of life at NYCHA.”

Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP)

The Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) is a comprehensive strategy to reduce violence and increase neighborhood safety at the 15 NYCHA development sites that accounted for 20 percent of all violent crime in public housing in 2014. To date, $140 million has been allocated for security enhancements at all 15 MAP sites, with funding from the City Council and Speaker, the Mayor’s Office and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

MAP sites are Polo Grounds, Bushwick, Boulevard Houses, Stapleton, Butler, Saint Nicholas, Castle Hill, Ingersoll, Van Dyke, Brownsville, Tompkins, Wagner, Patterson, Red Hook and Queensbridge North and South.

By end of 2017, NYCHA will have completed new lighting at 14 MAP sites. That means 6,201 new lights have been installed across the most dangerous developments in NYCHA.

NYCHA has completed CCTV work at six developments and begun work at the remaining eight. NYCHA has also completed Layered Access Control (secure building entry doors) installation at three developments with work underway at the remaining 11 sites.

Red Hook Houses, which is a Sandy Site, has work ongoing now through the Office of Recovery and Resilience. Work on upgraded lighting, newly installed CCTV cameras and more secure doors will begin in 2018.


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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.