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Crime down 35 percent in city schools: Report

Crime down 35 percent in city schools: Report
Photo by Seth Wenig/AP
By Patrick Donachie

Crime in city schools has decreased by 35 percent in the last five years, according to Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and the NYPD, but a charter school advocacy organization noted that the number of weapons recovered in schools was at the highest recorded level since 2010.

Fariña was joined by Bill Bratton at a Sept. 15 news conference during the last week before Bratton’s resignation as NYPD commissioner. He and Fariña reported that in the first two quarters of 2016, arrests in schools had dropped by 10 percent, while the School Safety Division was issuing 37 percent fewer summonses than in the 2015 school year.

“With reductions in both index crime and enforcement action occurring in New York City schools, the NYPD and the DOE are building a healthy learning environment to foster student success,” Bratton said. Index crimes refer to the crimes the FBI uses to build their annual index, which includes incidents of homicide, non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, rape, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

According to the DOE, the city will allocate $190 million during the next four years in supporting school climate initiatives and mental health support systems to assist in managing incidents before they rise to the level of a crime. Bratton and Fariña also announced the second annual Team Up! Tuesday event, which is scheduled for Oct. 25. During the event, police officers from more than 70 precincts will visit 300 middle schools across all school districts, holding activities with students while offering lessons about bullying, peer pressure, gang recruitment and drug use.

Jeremiah Kittredge, the CEO for Families for Excellent Schools, disputed the positive report by Bratton and Fariña.

“Today’s press conference conveniently ignored the fact that dangerous weapons in our schools have gone up 30 percent since Mayor de Blasio took office, and are now at their highest level since at least 2010,” he said. “Mayor de Blasio needs to begin taking school violence seriously instead of asking his administration to use stats that don’t show the full picture.”

According to Kittredge, the number of weapons recovered in schools has risen by 16.1 percent since 2013, and 4.4 percent since the 2014-2015 school year. In total, 1,751 weapons were recovered in schools in the 2015-2016 school year. Families for Excellent Schools advocates for charter schools in Albany and has been a fierce critic of de Blasio’s education policies.

Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdonachie@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.