Albany officials say New York's capital city was safer last year than the year before.
At police headquarters Monday, interim Chief Brendan Cox said Albany saw less crime in 2024 than in 2023.
Cox says incidents of violent crime, including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, fell by 2 percent. Total property crime, including burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft fell by by 15 percent.
Use of force incidents dropped from 328 in 2023 to 257 in 2024.
Cox attributed the decrease in overall crime — especially retail theft — to partnerships between police and community organizations.
“We have a very big partnership with our other law enforcement partners that includes both from a policing end, the Albany police, state police, the district attorney's office, it includes the business community, where we're working with the big box stores, the grocery stores, to really focus on repeat offenders,” Cox said.
One statistic that did increase in 2024 over the year prior was rape. Officials attribute the increase to a new definition of what constitutes the crime in New York.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan explains.
“It is pulling in more cases, and that we have throughout this year been laser focused on where we are seeing victims, and that is young, vulnerable people who come to the city of Albany from all over New York state to benefit from the services that are available in the residential treatment facilities that are located here,” Sheehan said.
The Democrat says vulnerable people receiving treatment are often the victims of sexual violence.
“Those who abscond from, I mean, these are not locked down facilities, but who leave these facilities and who are preyed upon by people who, as you, as you heard, from the arrests that have been made, we seek to arrest and bring to justice, but being able to work with the state on lifting that up and bringing more resources to bear on that, we think is critically important,” Sheehan said.
The officials say crime is also changing. A man was arrested by New York State Police earlier this month after an investigation into the manufacture of "ghost guns."
Demetrio Daga is accused of possessing hundreds of homemade weapons parts and guns.
Cox says he’s concerned about how easy it can be to create weapons using 3D printers.
“That’s insane, that someone can buy a piece of equipment that can make a gun. Something needs to be done about that. I don't understand how in the world, as a country, we can allow that to happen,” Cox said.
Another statistic that increased in 2024 was the number of crashes involving city police vehicles. Last year, the police department recorded 46, up from up from 39 in 2023.
“That says to me that I need to continue to make sure that we're not causing officers to work too many hours,” Cox said.
Cox was appointed interim chief following the departure of former Police Chief Eric Hawkins in December. Cox will remain chief through 2025 as Mayor Sheehan serves the final year of her third four-year term. The Democrat is not seeking re-election.
