Zohran Mamdani has a slew of political assets, including a winning smile, a slick way with social media and a positive approval rating.<\/p>\n
But he seems to understand that public safety is his kryptonite.<\/p>\n
His campaign-trail disavowal of his past anti-cop agitation and his decision to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch are obvious examples of this reality.<\/p>\n
No wonder he\u2019s working so hard to sell the idea that New York City is safer than ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n But is it really?<\/p>\n Last week, Mamdani pushed back hard against PIX 11 News reporter Dan Mannarino\u2019s question regarding city crime statistics.<\/p>\n City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Mannarino pointed out, \u201csaid that rape and felony assaults are concerning to her . . . the NYPD is touting low numbers, but she\u2019s looking at different numbers. Somewhere in there is the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani waved away Menin\u2019s worry.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I believe the NYPD,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing are some of the lowest numbers that New York City has seen in recorded history, especially when it comes to murders and shootings.\u201d<\/p>\n Especially when it comes to murders and shootings, Mr. Mayor?<\/p>\n No: Murders and shootings are the only major crime categories near their historic lows.<\/p>\n It was a slick answer, but deliberately misleading.<\/p>\n Shootings and homicides are indeed on track to beat their modern historical lows <\/a>\u2014 an incredible feat, considering the multi-year spike in both measures through 2021.<\/p>\n Thanks no doubt to the NYPD\u2019s hard work, the most socially costly components of the city\u2019s public safety challenges are under control.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s simply wrong to suggest that crime in general is anywhere near all-time lows.<\/p>\n Through July 12, the city has reported just a hair under 59,000 \u201cmajor crimes\u201d \u2014 including murder, rape, robbery, burglary, felony assault, grand larceny and auto theft.<\/p>\n That number is 24% higher than the 47,438 major crimes reported through the same date in 2019 \u2014 a year in which New Yorkers were spending more time on the streets and in the subways than they do in this post-pandemic work-from-home era.<\/p>\n The difference in the number of felony assaults<\/a> was even greater, at 46.5% (15,824 so far this year, compared to 10,799 through the same date in 2019).<\/p>\n That\u2019s what has Menin so concerned \u2014 and what Mamdani was eager to blow off.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet opinions and commentary from our columnists\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Worse, though, was his response to Menin\u2019s distress about a recent rise in reported rapes.<\/p>\n According to the latest NYPD data, rapes are up 6.6% compared to the same time last year.<\/p>\n No worries, the mayor assured us<\/a>: \u201cWhat I think is important to know is a lot of the increase in rape also comes from an expanded definition of what\u00a0counts as rape.\u201d<\/p>\n He was referring to a January 2024 state law that expanded the legal definition of rape to include multiple kinds of non-consensual sexual misconduct \u2014 but that 2024 change does not explain why the city is seeing a year-to-date increase.<\/p>\n His tone-deaf response drew criticism from across the political spectrum: City Council Democrat Susan Zhuang condemned it as a \u201cdeflection,\u201d while Republican Bruce Blakeman said Mamdani \u201cowes rape victims an apology, not an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s efforts to paint a rosier picture than the crime numbers justify suggests he knows full well that his public-safety narrative is crucial for his political health.<\/p>\n And his allies on the far left know it, too.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why they\u2019re working hard to play up the crime declines.<\/p>\n \u201cSince electing a socialist \u2026 NYC crime rate is down,\u201d socialist state Sen. Jabari Brisport gloated on X. \u201cConservatives . . . get wrecked.\u201d<\/p>\n Socialist News Media boasted, \u201cUnder a Socialist mayor, New York City has reported its fewest shootings and murders in its recorded history.\u201d<\/p>\n Ironically, those allies are celebrating the byproduct of a stronger and more active NYPD \u2014 which added 4,000 new cops<\/a> to the force last year, and has recently drawn the ire of both the NYCLU and the Legal Aid Society for doing too much enforcement.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that major crime is trending downward while the mayor has avoided taking action on his police-related campaign promises.<\/p>\n The NYPD is still fielding mental-health calls, the Strategic Response Group is still intact, the city is still housing more than 6,500 offenders in its jails<\/a>, and the gang database hasn\u2019t been abolished.<\/p>\n