New York City police have made fewer arrests amid the coronavirus pandemic, prompting questions from some elected officials and criminologists over whether that has played a role in a rise in shootings and other violent crime. Officers made 84,930 arrests between Jan. 1 and Aug. 9, a 39% drop from the same period last year, according to the New York Police Department. Homicides, meanwhile, rose 29% to 244 from Jan. 1 to Aug. 2 from the same period last year. The city also recorded an 84.6% rise in shooting victims to 1,017 during those dates compared with the same period in 2019. Joseph Pollini, a former NYPD lieutenant commander and adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that fewer arrests, even for low-level offenses, can lead to more crime.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 16, 2020 18:00 UTC