NYPD Announces Citywide Crime Statistics for February 2022 Vs. February 2021

 

For the month of February 2022, New York City saw a 58.7% increase in overall index crime compared to February 2021 (9,138 v. 5,759). Every major index crime category saw an increase for the month of February 2022. Robbery increased by 56% (1,276 v. 818), grand larceny increased by 79.2% (3,762 v. 2.099), and grand larceny auto increased by 104.7% (1,083 v. 529). Citywide shooting incidents decreased by 1.3% (76 v. 77) in February 2022 compared to the same period last year.

The New York City Police Department remains focused on the drivers of crime and disorder in New York City, and the department will never waver in its core mission to protect all the people it serves. Every day, in every New York City neighborhood, the NYPD is working to identify and investigate the relatively small number of people who are responsible for the majority of the criminal activity – and it is employing every resource to ensure that these offenders are held accountable.

To that end, the new Neighborhood Safety Teams will further enhance the NYPD’s efforts to stop the proliferation of illegal guns, stifle gang activity, and suppress the violence caused by these unlawful actions. The deployment of these specially trained officers and supervisors will augment the ongoing work of patrolling the city’s streets, subways, and public housing developments, 24-hours per day. Nearly nine million New Yorkers depend on the NYPD and its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep them safe – and every member of the police department is fully committed to this critical work.

"The men and women of the New York City Police Department are proactively addressing the deep-rooted causes of criminal behavior,” said Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “The NYPD will never relent, and the department has made far too much progress over the decades – and invested far too much in the communities it serves – to fall back by any measure. New Yorkers deserve better."

*All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to further analysis, revision, or change.*

Index Crime Statistics: February 2022 

	Feb. 2022	Feb. 2021	+/-	%
Murder	32	29	+3	+10.3%
Rape	134	99	+35	+35.4%
Robbery	1276	818	+458	+56.0%
Fel. Assault	1665	1361	+304	+22.3%
Burglary	1186	824	+362	+43.9%
Grand  Larceny	3762	209	+1663	+79.2%
G.L.A.	1083	529	+554	+104.7%
TOTAL	9138	5759	+3379	+58.7%

 

Additional Statistics for February 2022 

	Feb. 2022	Feb. 2021	+/-	%
Transit	182	105	+77	+73.3%
Housing	444	346	+98	+28.3%
Citywide Shooting  Incidents	76	77	-1	-1.3%

Speaker Adams, Council Members Outline Key Priorities as City Lifts COVID Requirements

 

Call for clear communication, focused effort to address health and vaccination disparities

 New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and Council Members released the following statements in response to the Mayor’s announcement to change indoor mask mandates in schools and vaccine requirements for certain indoor settings.

“As New York City’s COVID-19 case rate and hospitalizations continue to decline, we have reason to be optimistic about our city’s future because of the work New Yorkers did to protect each other and public health,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams. “More than three-quarters of all New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, which has proven to save lives and prevent the most severe impacts of the virus. Yet, serious disparities still exist.  As the Mayor removes the indoor mask mandate for New York City’s public schools and lifts the ‘Key to NYC’ requirements for certain indoor settings, we urge the City to focus on clear and well-coordinated communication, an intensive effort to attack severe public health disparities across our schools and neighborhoods, and a commitment to allowing public health experts to guide policy shifts based on the conditions. The city must clearly communicate to all stakeholders, including parents, students, and educators about the details of these changes to avoid any confusion about the mask policies in our schools, especially given the various different messages being delivered at the federal and state levels. This communication must reach all New Yorkers, including immigrant households that do not speak English as their primary language, requiring a protracted multi-channel and multi-language effort.

“In order to address continued health inequities, the City should enact a major effort to address the stark disparities in vaccination rates across school districts and communities,” continued Speaker Adams. “Many communities of color have lower vaccination rates, especially amongst students in their neighborhood schools. During the recent Omicron surge, Black New Yorkers were twice as likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 as white New Yorkers, in part believed to be due to lower vaccination rates and certainly a legacy of health inequities. In areas that continue to be disproportionately impacted and under-vaccinated, we must pursue a targeted and persistent effort to vaccinate New Yorkers, maintain a high capacity for testing, and invest in public health and wellness. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, it will be critical for the City to remain flexible and willing to allow the status of COVID’s impact on our city to dictate our policies. We must not be afraid to enact more stringent policies if the public health environment requires it, just as we cannot fear loosening policies as conditions improve.”

Council Member Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Committee on Health, said: “New York is experiencing the lowest COVID numbers since the start of the pandemic and it seems a good time to begin reducing restrictions, especially for restaurants and other entertainment venues which have suffered greatly.  With that, it is important to always follow the science, and explore creating guidelines for future healthcare measures based on case levels and other appropriate criteria.”

Council Member Francisco Moya, Chair of the Subcommittee on COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency, said: “COVID-19 has been ever-evolving forcing us to constantly adjust but we are resilient. Two years ago we did not have the tools and lessons learned to protect ourselves and others. As we move forward, we need to continue to monitor the trends and new variants to ensure we can pivot as needed to protect our most vulnerable communities, our families, our local businesses, and the recovery of our city.”

United States Files Enforcement Action to Stop Deceptive Marketing of Herbal Tea Product Advertised as Covid-19 Treatment

 

  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Branch, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),  announced a civil enforcement action against defendants B4B Earth Tea LLC, B4B Corp., and Andrew Martin Sinclair for alleged violations of the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

According to a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the defendants advertised that their herbal tea product, Earth Tea, could prevent or treat COVID-19.  For example, the defendants allegedly advertised on social media that Earth Tea is the “most effective [t]reatment against” COVID-19, that it “works within minutes” and will enable consumers to “get out of quarantine within 24 hours guaranteed.”  The defendants had no competent or reliable scientific evidence to support those claims. Further, the defendants allegedly made deceptive statements about a purported scientific study to bolster their unproven COVID-19 claims. The complaint also alleges that Earth Tea is an unapproved new drug that the defendants are selling in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The complaint seeks civil penalties, as well as a permanent injunction to stop the defendants from continuing their unlawful marketing and sales of Earth Tea.

The COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, passed by Congress in December 2020, prohibits deceptive acts or practices associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID-19. Persons who violate the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act may be subject to civil penalties, injunctive relief, and other remedies available under the FTC Act. The complaint also alleges violations of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive conduct and false advertising.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provides that a product is an unapproved new drug if it is intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans but is not generally recognized as safe and effective for its intended uses and is not the subject of an FDA approval. Remedies for violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act include injunctive relief.  

“COVID-19 has tragically claimed nearly one million lives in this country and close to six million lives worldwide,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “Unfortunately, there are too many people who are taking advantage of this crisis by pushing alleged treatment products that are nothing more than snake oil. We will not tolerate attempts to make a dishonest dollar while putting our communities at risk during a pandemic.”

“The Department of Justice will not tolerate individuals or companies seeking to profit from the COVID-19 public health emergency by unlawfully advertising unproven products,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to protecting consumers and enforcing the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act and the FDCA against those who unlawfully market unproven COVID-19 treatments.”

“Products like this may delay patients from seeking proven treatments from their health care provider. Preying on patients’ vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic is unacceptable,” stated Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D., FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs.  “The FDA will continue to actively monitor the U.S. market for any companies or individuals falsely marketing products with claims it prevents or treats COVID-19, and will take actions against those who violate the law and endanger patients.”

“Without any scientific evidence, the defendants claimed that drinking their herbal tea is more effective in preventing COVID-19 than approved vaccines, and cures anyone who has gotten ill within 24 hours,” stated Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “In bringing this matter with our partners at the Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration, the Commission continues its commitment to using every tool available to stop and deter those who would treat the pandemic as opportunity to peddle bogus treatments.”

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the FTC, visit its website at https://www.FTC.gov.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York recently announced a Consumer Protection Team in the Office’s Civil Division at  https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/united-states-attorney-breon-peace-announces-formation-consumer-protection-team-office. The Consumer Protection Team will pursue all appropriate measures to stop culpable entities and individuals that engage in conduct threatening the health, safety, economic security, or dignity of potentially vulnerable individuals.  For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or to report suspected consumer fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny. 

NYC Comptroller Lander Kicks Off NYC Open Data Week With Workshops to Open the City’s Checkbook to all New Yorkers

 

Announces series of workshops open to press and the public to explore city spending and contracts available in  Checkbook NYC.

Sign up for March 9 workshops open now.

 The NYC Comptroller’s Office is joining NYC Open Data Week (March 5-13) by hosting public demonstrations of Checkbook NYC, an award-winning online tool for financial transparency. Checkbook NYC provides unprecedented access to view and track how New York City government spends its approximately $98.5 billion annual budget. Introductory and advanced workshops on Checkbook NYC will be held on March 9, and future workshops will be held quarterly.

Wednesday, March 9th – Checkbook Workshops
 
9:00 AM — Getting to Know Checkbook: This session will include a broad overview of the type of data that Checkbook offers and a guided tour of the site’s functionality. Time: 9:00 – 10:00 AM [Register link] 
 
2:00 PM — Advanced Searches: This will contain an overview of the different search mechanisms within Checkbook and understanding which search technique is best suited for specific queries. Actual queries are welcome as examples. Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM [Register link] 
 
All demos will be conducted by the Checkbook NYC Team; Nicole Boone and Edward Sokolowski. Future Checkbook workshops will be held quarterly, in June, September, and December. Sign up here for updates. 
 
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Open Data Law and the 6th annual Open Data Week. NYC Open Data Week is an initiative organized by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, NYC Open Data at the Office of Technology and Innovation, BetaNYC and Data Through Design, with support from the Jacobs Urban Tech Hub at Cornell Tech. NYC Open Data Week advances open government, increases data literacy, and celebrates civic engagement. To see the full list of this year’s Open Data Week events, visit open-data.nyc. As the agency tasked with fiscal oversight and accountability, the Comptroller’s Office shares a commitment to transparency and is proud to be a resource for New Yorkers looking to understand and analyze the City’s spending and contracting.   
 
“In my office, we believe every week is open data week,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.  “Checkbook NYC empowers the public to keep an eye on how public resources are being spent, with detailed, up-to-date information about expenditures, contracts, payroll, and revenue. I commend Comptroller Liu for the vision that brought forth the first iteration of Checkbook NYC and Comptroller Stringer for improving and expanding this unparalleled tool for municipal transparency. This week, we added a new dashboard for the public to see and track how NYC is spending $11 billion in COVID relief aid. Making this data available to the public gives us the chance to partner with New Yorkers to provide oversight, identify inefficiencies and inequities, and work together to improve how government delivers services.” 
 
“Thank you Comptroller Lander for joining us in celebrating Open Data Week this year,” said  NYC Chief Analytics Officer  Martha Norrick. ”Through publishing robust data, creating a user-friendly tool – Checkbook NYC – to access that data, and teaching sessions this week to help users work with that data, the Comptroller’s Office is making an important contribution to the Office of Technology and Innovation’s mission of making Open Data more accessible to New Yorkers.” 
 
“Thank you Comptroller Brad Lander for helping us kick off NYC’s School of Data and Open Data week” said Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC. “When we were fighting for the City’s open data law, Checkbook NYC was near and dear to our hearts. Checkbook NYC has always been an example of an agency sharing detailed information via a simple to use website AND providing that underlying information in a machine-readable format. No paywalls nor FOIL request! Government data 24/7! We’re looking forward to your ongoing support of NYC School of Data and Open Data Week!” 
 
In July 2010, Comptroller John Liu launched the beta version of Checkbook NYC, an online transparency tool that for the first time placed the City’s day-to-day spending in the public domain. Then in 2013 Comptroller Liu launched Checkbook 2.0, making NYC  top in the nation for financial transparency and set work in progress for Checkbook 3.0 to include apps that provide access to revenue data, sub-contracting information, agency budgetary conditions, and mapping of capital projects. During the Stringer Administration, four updates were performed to enhance the City’s Checkbook. The Checkbook NYC 2.0 website was developed in collaboration with REI Systems, a firm that worked with the Obama Administration to launch several federal transparency websites, including USAspending.gov, DATA.gov, and ITdashboard.gov. 
 
This week, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander unveiled a Federal Stimulus Fund Tracker on CheckbookNYC to bring transparency and accountability to city spending of COVID-19 relief funds. This new dashboard tracks spending from FY 2022 onward of nearly $11 billion in Federal pandemic relief funding for New York City.  
  
In addition to the data available on CheckbookNYC, the City’s Open Data Portal includes the following data sets relevant to the Comptroller’s work: data regarding individual claims filed and settled against the City of New York; holdings data from City Retirements Systems; Proxy Voting Records from City Retirement Systems; and data related to outstanding New York City bonds, interest rate exchange agreements, and projected debt service on those bonds. That data is available here. Many of the datasets on NYC Open Data the Open Data Portal can be filtered, downloaded, and steered as needed for deeper analysis. The Comptroller’s office also makes available online audit, policy, and budget reports (here) and documents related to Pension and Investment Management and City Bonds (here).    
   
Sign up for the March 9 Checkbook NYC workshops, or get on the list for future workshops here: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/checkbooknyc-demos/