New York City has seen an almost 20% increase in auto thefts so far this year. The increase in vehicle thefts also comes amid a wider increase of crime that has affected the city since 2020, as well as the recent announcement that the city would be cutting the number of police officers.
Crime in Gotham has increased considerably since the 2020 George Floyd riots. Among the largest categories of growth has been auto and retail theft.
Enough is enough.
It is time to end New York's soft on crime policies and restore LAW & ORDER.
"93% of NYC grocers have been hit by shoplifters this year: survey"https://t.co/uORuarxnet
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) November 27, 2023
Law enforcement data shows that more than 14,000 vehicles have been stolen in the city through Nov. 26.
Furthermore, car theft has especially grown in the Bronx, which is now up more than a third.
The only part of the city that has seen a decline in car theft is the Republican-dominated borough of Staten Island.
New York officials and leaders in other cities blamed much of the rise in theft due to a TikTok trend, The videos show individuals using a flaw in Hyundai and Kia vehicles to start them up and drive away.
However, police in New York City also announced a significant wave of car and valuable thefts separate from the TikTok videos.
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) recently announced a series of across-the-board budget cuts due to the ongoing migrant crisis affecting the city. New York has absorbed more than $1 billion in costs due to the more than 100,000 migrants who have entered into the city since last year.
Included in the cuts were declines in the planned funding for the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The plan would mean that the NYPD would fall to 29,000 officers by the end of 2025’s fiscal year. This would represent a decline of almost 4,500 officers and would leave the city with its smallest police staffing levels since the 1990s.
Overall, the budget will reduce the police department’s funding by more than $100 million and cancel multiple planned training cohorts of new officers.
