Criminals Sustain More Injuries from Police Actions in NYC
Newly released data from the NYPD shows that criminals have experienced nearly 25% more injuries at the hands of police officers within the first quarter of this year.
Between Jan. 1 and March 31, 1,131 offenders across the city were injured due to police use of force, compared to 913 during the same period in 2023.
However, the data also reveals that New York’s police officers have suffered 7% more injuries while engaging with lawbreakers during the same time frame in 2024.
Moreover, there has been a 20% increase in violent encounters between cops and suspects overall, with 2,590 such incidents occurring so far this year.
Weapons were used in 19 encounters, with firearms involved in 10 instances in the first quarter of 2024.
Retired NYPD detective and John Jay College adjunct professor, Michael Alcazar, attributed the surge in confrontations to both criminals becoming more resistant and emboldened, as well as a lack of respect for law enforcement officers in the current environment.
Alcazar also mentioned that the change in NYPD leadership last summer has motivated the police force to be more proactive and make more arrests.
The spike in aggressive encounters coincides with the NYPD’s efforts to manage frequent anti-Israel protests.
Comparisons were drawn to the spike in violent encounters during the second quarter of 2020, which was marked by widespread riots in the name of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Despite the chaotic events of 2020, the data shows a 46% increase in officer injuries and a 68% increase in injuries sustained by perpetrators so far in 2024.
