NYC Murders Fall to Lowest on Record

Murders in New York fell to the lowest level on record in 2014. The city recorded 321 murders, dramatically lower than the peak of 2,245 recorded in 1990. (The NYPD began keeping reliable numbers in 1963.) When murders fell to 1,177 in 1995, then-and-current police commissioner Bill Bratton threw a parade for officers. However, things are far tenser in 2014. Despite the success in keeping New York safer, the mayor and the NYPD have locked horns since two officers were murdered in cold blood this month. Cops have virtually stopped issuing summons or parking tickets to protest the death of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu and Mayor Bill de Blasio's call to change policing policies.