New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny speaks during for a press conference at the New York Police Department headquarters in New York City, U.S., April 2, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
(New York, NY) – Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed crime rates in the city. At Thursday’s briefing. Tisch said there were sharp declines in most categories of major crime, however there was an increase in reported hate crimes and rapes. Tisch attributed the increase to the adjustments made in reporting. She also absolved the mayor of any blame for changes in hate crime reporting. The NYPD is now putting out two sets of hate crime numbers, one for incidents referred to the Hate Crimes Task Force, and confirmed hate crimes meeting the standards of New York Law. Tisch said that was her call to prevent inaccurate reporting.
Hate crimes rose by 11.7% in the first quarter, with more than half of those being anti-Jewish. According to the department, anti-Muslim hate crimes showed the largest increase. Last month, the task force confirmed 55 incidents as hate crimes out of a reported 73. Rapes also saw a 10% increase in the quarter, which Tisch ascribed that to a change in state law expanding the definition of rape along with increased outreach to survivors.
