Early last Sunday morning, Bob Arihood captured a brutal brawl on Seventh Street and Avenue A that involved nearly 50 people. As noted at the time, one police car with two officers was available to respond to all this.
Today, the Post reports the following:
So far this calendar year, the number of New York City murders has jumped a scary 22 percent over the same period last year -- from 86 slayings up to 103 this year.
In addition to murders, the number of shootings has soared to 246 -- a 21.2 percent jump over the same period last year.
There are also more rapes, which are up 11.3 percent, and felony assaults, which have spiked nearly 6 percent. Burglaries have increased 3.6 percent.
Bloomberg noted that the total number of such crimes is "still very low" compared to the sky-high rates seen in years such as 1990, when murders hit an annual record of 2,245.
But he and others admit that the NYPD's shrinking manpower level -- from 41,000 cops in 2001 down to about 35,000 today -- could be playing a factor in the increased crime rates. The city expects to shed around 1,300 officers in the upcoming fiscal year through attrition, and also is threatening to lay off a whopping 3,150 cops if the state slashes related funding.
One top police official said, "There are just a lot less people out there . . .."
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