fewer shootings with injuries in 2025 than in 2021 across the 28 police departments New York tracks for gun violence. New York City had its safest summer on record in 2026 for shootings and murders. Some crimes are still rising.
Shootings and murders are down. Felony assaults, hate crimes and some other crimes are not. Below: what New York State did, what the numbers show, and where they fall short. Every number links to its source.
Oct. 6: The NYPD said New York City recorded 594 shooting victims through September, the fewest since 1994, and 203 murders, also a record low. Overall crime is down 9 percent, while hate crimes are up 13 percent.
Officer.com · amNY · Police1
Sept. 1: New York State called on the federal government to release $87 million in counterterrorism and homeland security money the state says Washington is holding back. It pays for intelligence work, large-event security and transit security.
Governor's office, Sept. 1, 2026 · Spectrum News, Sept. 1, 2026 · WCAX
Early voting runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
What shootings and murders look like now
Preliminary state data, combining the two tiers of gun-violence jurisdictions DCJS tracks. Some jurisdictions began reporting in 2021, so 2019 and 2020 cover fewer agencies. In the first half of 2026, the state's figures show shooting incidents fell another 19 percent, from 244 to 197.
State Division of Criminal Justice Services · Governor's office, Feb. 5, 2026
NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 1 TO AUG. 31, 2026, VS. THE PREVIOUS RECORDIn 2026, 227 in 2025 (old record)
In 2026, 293 in 2018 (old record)
In 2026, 78 in 2017 (old record)
Through July, New York City murders were down 22.8 percent from the same months of 2025, 149 vs. 193.
What the record shows
Paid for the GIVE gun violence program, more police on the subways and a retail theft task force.
Violent crime fell 9.3 percent nationwide in 2025, and the murder rate ties the lowest on record (FBI). New York City had its fewest shootings and murders on record this summer (NYPD). Felony assaults and hate crimes are not falling.
Sources: FBI, released Aug. 14, 2026; NYPD, Sept. 3, 2026.
What others are saying
Officials and an independent crime analyst.
"Fewest murders, shooting incidents, and shooting victims in recorded history"
"Has recovered from lethal violence, but it has not yet recovered from the rest"
The other side on bail and courts: Republican officials said in May 2025 that the state had not fully repealed its bail reform laws, which they said leaves neighborhoods less safe. On discovery, Assembly leadership said it was concerned about making prosecutors the sole judges of what matters in a case. The state has changed the 2019 bail law three times since it passed.
Federal money for New York's safety
Some of New York's safety money comes from Washington. Two disputes are open.
If you ride transit or attend large events
New York State says Washington cut or held back $187 million in counterterrorism and homeland security funds in 2025, returned $100 million, and has not released the other $87 million. The state said that amounts to defunding the police. These funds pay for intelligence, large-event security and transit security. We found no federal response.
Governor's office, Sept. 1, 2026 · Spectrum News, Sept. 1, 2026
If you rely on victim services
New York could lose about $212 million in federal Victims of Crime Act money if it did not meet Justice Department immigration-enforcement conditions. New York's attorney general sued with 20 other states and D.C. The fund supports more than 250 New York community programs.
Other federal actions this year
Beyond New York's own budget, these are federal figures from 2026.
Of the more than 1,500 people granted clemency for Jan. 6 offenses were arrested, charged or convicted in separate cases since the riot, according to a Lawfare analysis.
Lawfare, via The New Republic, June 4, 2026. View The New Republic → View Lawfare →
Mentions of Trump in the most recent release of Epstein files, spread across 5,300 documents, according to a New York Times analysis. Most come from news clippings and forwarded articles, so the count is not evidence of wrongdoing.
New York Times analysis, as summarized by TrailMix, Feb. 6, 2026. View source →
Confirmed measles cases in the United States in 2026 as of Sept. 24, with 40 new outbreaks, according to the CDC.
CDC, via Contagion Live, Sept. 25, 2026. View source →
Is the size of the USDA fight against the New World screwworm. USDA confirmed a case in a calf in Texas on June 3, and more than 40 cases have followed in Texas and New Mexico.
Axios, June 14, 2026 · Fortune, Aug. 24, 2026. View Axios → View Fortune →
Illnesses across 21 states in one outbreak tied to recalled iceberg lettuce, with 570 hospitalizations and two deaths, according to the CDC. The outbreak has ended.
CDC, final update, Sept. 11, 2026. View source →
Criminal investigations dropped by the Justice Department as it shifted resources to immigration enforcement, according to a Minnesota Reformer report.
Minnesota Reformer, Apr. 1, 2026. View source →
What New York State did about public safety
These actions were passed in recent state budgets. Each one is explained below.
Is the record the state says this year's budget includes for GIVE, which pays 28 police departments in 21 counties for equipment, overtime and staff. Shootings with injuries in those areas fell from 1,262 in 2021 to 491 in 2025.
State Division of Criminal Justice Services; Governor's office, Feb. 5, 2026. View source →
To surge police patrols on trains and platforms for six months, in the state's FY2026 budget, plus an additional $45 million for National Guard transit security. The state says subway crime is at its lowest level in 16 years, but it did not say how that was measured. NYPD data show transit crime up 1 percent so far in 2026.
Governor's office, FY2026 budget release and Dec. 18, 2025. View budget → View Dec. 18 release →
For 100 forensic psychiatric beds. A 2025 law also lets hospitals hold people who can't meet basic needs, like food, shelter or medical care, because of mental illness. The same package added $16.5 million for assisted outpatient treatment and $25 million for subway outreach.
Governor's office, May 9, 2025. View source →
Put into a retail theft task force and a retail security tax credit. Assaulting a retail worker is now a felony.
NY1, Apr. 18, 2024. View source →
More state actions on public safety
This year's budget requires pistols sold in New York to be built to resist easy conversion into machine guns, sets safety standards for 3D printers to block gun printing, and makes it a crime to share blueprints for illegal guns. Gun-rights groups have criticized the measures as unconstitutional or ineffective.
Governor's office, May 2026 · Finger Lakes 1, May 29, 2026 · Spectrum News, Jan. 7, 2026
In 2025 the state narrowed what prosecutors must hand over to defense lawyers before trial (called discovery) and stopped cases from being thrown out over minor mistakes. Prosecutors said the 2019 law got cases dismissed on technicalities. Defense lawyers and reform advocates said prosecutors should not decide alone what is relevant. The budget added $135 million to help prosecutors and defenders comply.
The state pays $35 million a year in security grants to nonprofits at risk of hate crimes, $165 million in all. Reported hate crimes in New York City are up this year.
Early voting runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
How this page was fact-checked
Every figure links to its source. Government pages are official but not neutral, so we pair them with news coverage where we could.
Page last fact-checked: Oct. 15, 2026. Figures and quotes reflect the sources as of that date.
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