Crime in Nassau is down almost 15% in the first six and a half months of the 2024, according to data from the county Police Department.
The drop in overall crime in 2024 continues a two-year decline since a 41% spike was reported in 2022. Before this decline, major crimes increased by 38% from 2019-2022.
Nasau’s decrease in crime was coupled this week with U.S. News and World Report ranking the county as the safest the safest in the United States.
Nassau was one of eight New York counties ranked among the 25 safest in the United States based on crime, injuries and public safety capacity, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The magazine said on its website this included “violent and property crime rates, the share of the population in proximity to emergency facilities, spending on health and emergency services, vehicle crash fatality rate and more.”
Other New York counties ranked among the safest were Brooklyn, 25; Suffolk, 23; Queens, 20; Staten Island, 17; Putnam, 8; Westchester, 6; and Rockland, 3.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he was pleased with the ranking but said more had to be done.
“Our ranking as the safest county in the country is a tribute to our police officers, district attorney, and other law enforcement professionals who put their life on the line each and every day to protect the residents of Nassau County,” Blakeman said. “However we should not rest on our laurels. We have much work to do, and with the support of the Legislature, I will continue to initiate programs that make Nassau County safer.”
Blakeman had questioned the U.S. News and World Report rankings when running in 2021 for county executive against Laura Curran, who had touted Nassau being ranked No. 1 twice during her administration
Reducing crime has been at the forefront of local political campaigns in recent years, with the Republican Party commonly attributing rises in crime to bail reform achieved by state Democrats.
At a press conference Monday, District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, blamed the 2020 cashless bail law for permitting a pair of Romanians illegally residing in the country to commit a series of crimes – including the recent theft of a $275,000 watch.
Donnelly said in a press release she was pleased with the No. 1 ranking and the double-digit reductions in crime, calling it a “testament to the tremendous work of our law enforcement partners and the dedicated attorneys in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office who are singularly focused on protecting our communities.”
“Working together, we are getting dangerous weapons off our streets, reducing gun violence, and driving down overall crime in our neighborhoods to make people safer,” she added.
Nassau’s decline in crime coincides with a national decline of most violent crimes to pre-pandemic levels, according to the 2024 mid-year crime trend report by the Council on Criminal Justice released in July.
“CCJ President and CEO Adam Gelb said the data suggests the pandemic disrupted the motives, means and opportunities that drive crime, which could be the primary reason for the spike and subsequent drop,” USA Today reported.
Nassau County Police Department publishes crime statistics through Strat-Com, an online crime statistics reporting database. The most recent data reflects reported crimes from the beginning of the year through July 15 and compares it to crimes reported during the same time period from 2023.
A total of 12,762 crimes were reported through July 15 of this year, almost 2,000 fewer than in 2023. In 2023, 14,920 crimes were reported through July 15. This amounts to a 14.46% drop in crime from year to year.
Major crimes throughout the county also fell by 13.29%. In 2023, 3,725 major crimes were reported by July 15 with 3,230 reported in 2024.
Major crimes include murders, rapes, sexual-based crimes, robberies, burglaries, stolen vehicles, grand larcenies and felony assaults.
Nearly all major crimes have fallen in 2024.
Notable falls in crime included murders, which fell by 75%, and rapes, which fell by 80%. In the first six and half months of 2023, four murders and five rapes were reported. In 2024, that fell to one crime for both.
Commercial robberies decreased by 11.88%, non-residential burglaries by 10.42%, stolen vehicles by 6.62% and grand larceny by 20.21%.
Crimes that increased from 2023 were sexual abuse by 33.33%, an increase from three to four reported cases, non-commercial robberies by 28.43%, felony assault by 8.54% and a 1.1% increase in residential burglaries, or two more reported in 2024 than in 2023.
One criminal sexual act was reported in both 2023 and 2024, constituting no rise in that crime category.
Falls in reported crimes carried out throughout all of the county’s police precincts.
The second precinct, which includes Bayville, East Norwich, Hicksville, Jericho, Lattingtown, Locust Valley, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Syosset, Westbury and Woodbury, saw a 22.02% fall in all major crimes so far in 2024.
Crimes that decreased include sexual abuse, which had none reported so far in 2024 versus one in 2023, commercial robbery which fell from seven to five, a 43.48% drop in stolen vehicles from 46 to 26, a 28.79% drop in grand larcenies from 257 to 183.
Crimes that increased in the second precinct was criminal sexual acts, which had one reported in 2024 while none were reported in 2024, non-commercial robberies which increased from six to eight, felony assault which increased from 17 to 19, residential burglaries from 22 to 28 and non-residential burglaries which increased from 21 to 24.
No murders or rapes were reported during this period in both 2023 and 2024.
The 6th Precinct covers East Hills, Flower Hill Great Neck Plaza, Harbor Hills, Manorhaven, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome, Plandome Manor, Plandome Heights, Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, Sea Cliff, Thomaston, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Great Neck, Greenvale, Manhasset, Roslyn Heights and University Gardens.
Major crimes in the 6th Precinct fell by 22.49% so far in 2024. Through July 16 in 2023, 338 major crimes were reported, whereas 262 were reported during the same period in 2024.
Crimes that fell included rapes, which had none reported in 2024, residential burglaries that decreased from 41 to 22, non-residential burglaries from 15 to 14, a 67% drop in stolen vehicles from 67 to 22 and grand larcenies from 191 to 166.
Crimes that increased were non-commercial robberies from seven to 13, commercial robberies from five to six and felony assault from 11 to 19.
No murders, criminal sex acts or sexual abuses were reported in both the first part of 2023 and 2024.
The 7th Precinct, which covers Wantagh, North Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Massapequa Park and East Massapequa, reported a 16.72% drop in major crimes. In the first six and a half months of 2023, 311 crimes were reported and 259 were reported so far in 2024.
Nearly every crime category saw decreases, including a fall from two rapes in 2023 to none in 2024, non-commercial robberies from seven to six, felony assault from 16 to 12, non-residential burglaries from 22 to 16, stolen vehicles from 32 to 29 and grand larcenies from 215 to 168.
Crimes that increased were murders, with none in the first half of 2023 and one so far in 2024 and residential burglaries that jumped from nine to 19.
Commercial robberies stayed the same from year to year with eight reported for both. No criminal sex acts or sexual abuses were reported in 2023 and 2024.
The 8th Precinct, which includes Bethpage, Incorporated Village of Farmingdale, Hicksville, Levittown, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Plainedge, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, and Wantagh, reported a 33.76% fall in major crimes.
Through July 16, 2023, 388 major crimes were reported and 257 were reported during the same period of time in 2024.
A majority of crime categories decreased in the eighth precinct, including no rapes reported in 2024 after one in 2023, commercial robberies that fell from 11 to five, felony assault from 25 to 19, residential burglaries from 16 to 13, non-residential burglaries from 31 to 24 and grand larcenies from 263 to 151, a 42.59% drop.
Crimes that grew were sexual abuses, which had none reported in the first part of 2023 and one in 2024, non-commercial robberies from 12 to 13 and stolen vehicles from 29 to 31.
No murders or criminal sex acts were reported in the first six and a half months of 2023 and 2024.
