By The New York Post Editorial Board
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch — backed by the NYPD rank and file — deserves all the credit for New York City’s continued crime drop.
Every law-abiding New Yorker should applaud her for achieving new lows in major crime — with murders hitting an all-time low in April.
The city saw just 19 homicides last month, beating the record of 21 set in 2014 and 2017; year-to-date in 2026 it’s just 76 murders, besting the prior low for the first four months of 86, set in 2018.
Shootings, robberies, grand larceny-auto, burglaries and felony assaults all dropped from April 2025, too, though much crime remains above the 2019 level, before the state’s worst “criminal-justice reforms” kicked in.
The only credit Mayor Zohran Mamdani deserves is for leaving her in charge of the department, even as he keeps making her job tougher— starting with his first act as mayor, halting the hiring of 5,000 more cops.
As it is, the added officers she managed to hire before he took over have been key to cutting major crime by 9.5% year-over-year.
Also crucial: Her focus on a deliberate, data-driven “zone policing” strategy that targets public-safety resources where they’re most needed.
And don’t doubt that the city’s most vulnerable benefit most: Crime in NYCHA projects is down 8.7%, while The Bronx is seeing record declines after lagging the citywide trend last year.
All while the NYPD must work against the tide from Albany, as the Legislature has handcuffed law enforcement with “reforms” that often keep even repeat offenders out of jail.
The mayor’s instincts on public safety remain terrible; it remains an open question as to when he’ll fire Tisch for doing her job too well, or insist on disastrous orders that force her to resign.
But as long as she can honorably hang on, New Yorkers have good reason to hope their city will keep getting safer.
Why NYC keeps getting safer despite Mamdani and Albany https://t.co/tSFZkzoy01 pic.twitter.com/y1akvpS8zC
— NY Post Opinion (@NYPostOpinion) May 6, 2026
