The leaves of Central Park are changing: hues of red, yellow, and brown suspended above winding paths invite New Yorkers to take fall walks. As the tourist season is beginning, Central Park is a main attraction for visitors from all over the world. But underneath this whimsical facade, during this past year Central Park has seen a shocking rise in crime, homelessness, and drug abuse.
The crime statistics are devastating as NYPD data shows that robberies in Central Park have increased by 200% and felony assaults by about 43% since last fall. Through 2024, there have been 11 assaults in the park. Most notably, after a sunbather experienced an attempted rape on the Great Hill in June 2024, the local press became frenzied and it was clear that action was necessary.
On August 15th, 2024, the NYPD deployed 100 additional police officers to patrol Central Park. The Columbus Circle entrance is their base of operations, and the personnel operations have been accompanied by a proliferation of security cameras, vehicles, and lights. Most of these officers are stationed at park entrances, while some patrol the inside of the park in NYPD vehicles.
Despite the stigma surrounding police activity in recent years, especially concerning political movements like Black Lives Matter, this deployment has been accepted with little local backlash. A temporary political consensus in the city concerning this issue has been cultivated by the disarray that plagued the park in recent months and the non-violent manner in which these operations are conducted. Alice Auth, a Harlem mom who lives near the park, corroborated, stating, “I sometimes think police presence escalates a situation, but in this case, officers seem to mainly be just that – a presence.”
Helping the Homeless
For decades, the benches along Central Park North have been occupied almost exclusively by homeless people. There has been a constant din of talking, singing, and yelling that echoes for blocks around the park. Nothing, not blizzards, heat waves, or hurricanes, has incentivized these people to abandon their benches — until this past August 2024.
The homelessness crisis in the past year is one of the direct causes of the NYPD proliferation. In July 2024, the number of homeless people in the city was recorded at 350,000. Now there are officers stationed outside most park entrances, more security cameras and lights, and cop cars patrolling the park path. The difference is most obvious on 59th Street and Central Park North, both of which have experienced high crime levels over the summer.
Avery Pflueger (Bronx Science ’26) lives on Central Park West and walks along the park every morning to catch her school bus. Pflueger has noticed a difference in police activity, explaining that, “Along the top of the park between 8th Avenue and 6th Avenue has been the most noticeable to me, but I’ve always seen a rise in cops from 100th-109th and 8th Avenue.”
This presence, even without actively resolving conflicts, has made the area safer. Pflueger told me in an interview that the recent activity “definitely shocked me at first, but I feel slightly safer with police around, especially if I’m waiting for my bus in the mornings (right next to a park entrance on 108th) and it’s dark outside.”
Officer Martemoya is an officer for the 23rd precinct of Manhattan, which serves East Harlem north of 96th Street. She was stationed on 110th Street in Central Park, and she explained what a day of work looks like for her. “We are here the whole day, but almost every day, we do patrol. So we are usually responding to 911 jobs. Sometimes, you stay at one post for the whole day, like I’m doing today.”
Officer Marte’s main objective was to provide resources to the homeless who frequent the park’s perimeter. She told me that she hadn’t witnessed any conflicts that day, and it was clear to me that her role was strictly non-confrontational. The NYPD seems to have adopted a policy of taking proactive, preventative measures against crime instead of blowing up conflicts when they happen. This adaptation is not only de-escalatory but key for recalibrating the public perception of the Police Department from a perpetrator of violence to a peacekeeping organization.
Countering Crime
The overarching problem, however, has been the devastating crime trend. Experts have highlighted a plethora of factors, including increasing drug abuse and mental health factors, that have fed into each other, peaking in 2024. The COVID-19 pandemic put many people out of work, and a spike in homelessness and crime followed. In search for a more specific cause, Pix 11 reported that police said migrants are contributing to the rise in crime.
It is crucial to recognize the underlying bias that contributes to opinions on crime. A Newsweek poll of a thousand New York City voters found that 70% of people blamed migrants for the crime rate. The correlation between crime rates and rates of migrants settling in the city is actually misleading, as expert studies find that migrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than native-born people. This is intuitively true, as even a crime as negligible as a parking ticket could result in a harrowing investigation for a migrant.
Even so, many New Yorkers find it easier to blame a group of “others” than to recognize a structural issue. Although it feels like New York is an exception to the national trends of hateful speech towards immigrants, Black people, and Muslims, this public backlash against migrants is a reflection of deeply rooted biases that are intensifying across the country. Now more than ever, we must acknowledge the systemic issues in our city instead of spreading hate. And when all is said and done, this is a systemic issue. Homelessness and crime are interrelated in a vicious cycle, which, at its most despairing moments, can feel unending.
Luckily, there is a light at the end of the road. Officer Marte reflected on how prioritizing helping the homeless has impacted crime. She explained, “The reason I’m here is because of the homeless, so we are providing them with resources so they can get it home, all the resources that we need. But, I think that crime has decreased a lot in Central Park.”
It is important to acknowledge the merits of this approach to crime fighting. By targeting individuals’ environments proactively, these police will theoretically create a long-term solution to the problem. Furthermore, the non-confrontational police presence serves to make New Yorkers feel more safe instead of less. Lucy Shaw, a mom who lives across the street from the park, said, “I do feel more comfortable with police presence just knowing that they are there in case anyone gets hurt.” There is an important distinction between a preventative, non-violent force that can help in case of a conflict and one that instills fear and tension as it fights crime.
Political Motivation
The tumultuous political climate in New York City has become increasingly relevant in the past few months. With an influx of 210,000 migrants flooding the city since 2022, New York City politicians are fighting an uphill battle to restore their influence, both tangible and perceptual. Actions such as this police reallocation are attempts to patch together a city bursting at the seams. And it won’t be the only one: our leaders have pledged their commitment to making New York safe in the next year.
On the state level, Governor Hochul has announced that a large proportion of the 2025 budget is allocated to stopping crime in New York. Mayor Adams, too, has proven his dedication to cracking down on crime, expressing his belief that the drastic increase in stop activity (police officers interacting with suspected criminals) under his administration will be key to New York City safety.
Unfortunately, none of these policies are perfect, and some would argue their imperfections outweigh any net benefits. Data analyzing Adams’ stop activity, for example, found that Black New Yorkers made up 60% of the stops, despite representing 20% of the city’s population. As displayed time and again, the Police Department has disproportionately targeted people of color in stops and arrests. Years of systematic abuse cannot be ignored when discussing the effect that police presence has on the community. Still, the city has seen a positive shift toward equity after the BLM protests in 2020, and internal reforms within the department have been key.
Despite the stigma surrounding police presence, many New Yorkers are relieved to see the long-term mental health and crime problems begin to be solved. Though police proliferation is not a holistic solution, it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, this policy is not merely the light at the end of the tunnel, but the end of a long, winding, and treacherous road.
Despite the stigma surrounding police presence, many New Yorkers are relieved to see the long-term mental health and crime problems begin to be solved. Though police proliferation is not a holistic solution, it is a step in the right direction.