September shootings surged even as
NYPD made record number of gun arrests
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The NYPD accentuated the positive
in its September crime statistics
report by touting a record number
of gun arrests during the month. Even so,
shootings across New York City had also
doubled from the previous year, continuing
a violent summertime trend into the fall.
Police reported 152 shooting incidents
citywide in September 2020 — a 127%
spike from the 67 shootings that occurred
12 months earlier. That surge helped account
for a 91% increase in shootings citywide
between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 of this year.
Correlating with the shooting spike
was another increase in murders, with 51
incidents last month — up from just 29
homicides recorded in September 2019.
Meanwhile, NYPD offi cers also made
607 gun arrests in September 2020 — the
highest monthly total recorded since the
department launched its CompStat crime
tracking program in 1994. Year to date,
2,801 gun arrests have been made by the
department — up 7% for the year.
Law enforcement offi cials explained
that offi cers refocused their efforts “on the
Shootings were up 157% across New York City during the month of September,
according to the NYPD.
drivers of serious crime and taking illegal
fi rearms off the streets.”
At the same time, the NYPD lost 2,500
offi cers due to attrition and budget-related
cutbacks which eliminated a police academy
class and pared the overtime budget.
“Despite the unparalleled challenges
they face every day, our offi cers continue to
PHOTO BY LLOYD MITCHELL
engage with the community and zero in on
the drivers of crime,” Police Commissioner
Dermot Shea said. “I thank the men and
women of the NYPD who work relentlessly,
day-in and day-out, to keep New Yorkers
in every neighborhood safe. We will continue
to address crime upticks and work in
close partnership with the residents we are
sworn to serve.”
Overall crime for September 2020
jumped by 2.4%, with a total of 8,952
major crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assault,
burglary, grand larceny, auto thefts)
reported. Burglaries spiked by 37.6%
(1,255 incidents) and auto thefts ballooned
by 70.5% (977 total incidents) — some of
the highest totals for these categories in
recent memory.
Meanwhile, robbery, assault and grand
larceny each fell by 11.2%, 6.3% and
6.8%, respectively.
Rapes were also down 19.2%, with
139 incidents reported — but the NYPD
believes the crime is being underreported.
Anyone who is a sex crime victim should
call the NYPD Special Victims Division
24-hour hotline at 212-267-RAPE.
While shootings surged, crime int he
transit system plunged by 51.5% in September
— with 113 incidents reported.
That comes as the MTA continues to slowly
recover from a 90% plunge in ridership
in March and April, at the peak of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, hate crimes had dropped by 33%
year to date, police reported.
Hudson River Park adds three more food
scrap composting sites to the park
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Manhattan residents now have
more sites where they can
drop off their food scraps for
composting.
The Hudson River Park Trust restarted
its compost program this fall with three
new sites, bringing the total number of
drop off points to 10 throughout the fourmile
park, making it the largest operational
compost site in Manhattan. This initiative
stems from Hudson River Park’s mission
to protect its 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary
and maintain a green open space that
provides relaxation, recreation and nature
to millions of New Yorkers each year.
The food scraps donated at any of these
10 sites are mixed with horticulture waste
to make healthy compost that enriches
plant beds and trees throughout the Park.
“Promoting a greener, more sustainable
city is a core part of our mission at
Hudson River Park and we have worked
hard over the years to build out one of
the largest, most accessible park-based
composting programs,” said Madelyn Wils,
President and CEO of the Hudson River
Park Trust. “Composting food scraps has
become an embedded part of New Yorkers’
routines and we are proud to welcome
them back to the Park as the program starts
back up again this fall.”
PHOTO: MAX GIULIANI FOR HUDSON RIVER PARK
In 2015 the Trust began composting
horticulture waste such as grass clippings
and pruned tree materials with an
automated Earthfl ow composting vessel.
Since then, the Trust has launched the
Community Compost Program sites in
partnership with NYC’s Department of
Sanitation (DSNY) and then Council
Member Corey Johnson.
Last year, the Trust collected 86,000
pounds of food scraps from the local
community. Combined with horticulture
waste, the Trust diverted a total of 450,000
pounds from landfi lls in 2019, which allowed
food and plant waste to nourish plant
beds rather than slowly decomposing in
landfi lls.
Drop-off sites are open every day from
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and accept the following
food scraps: fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee
grounds and fi lters, tea bags, rice, pasta,
bread, cereal, eggs, nutshells and dried/cut
fl owers. New Yorkers can fi nd sites at:
Pier 25 @ N Moore St
Pier 40 @ Morton St
Pier 46 @ Charles St (NEW)
Pier 51@ Horatio St
14th Street Park @ W 14th St
Chelsea Waterside Park @ W 23rd St
Pier 66 @ W 26th St (NEW)
HRPK’s Compost Center @ W 34th St
Pier 84 @ W 44th St
Pier 96 Boathouse @ W 55th St (NEW)
18 Oct. 8, 2020 Schneps Media