[3][4] In 2016 the United States Department of Justice announced that Da'quan Johnson had been sentenced to 30 years for murder, racketeering and narcotics crimes that he committed as a member of street gang based in Yonkers.
[6] Mayor Mike Spano and the Yonkers Police Department announced that the rise of gang violence would be met with increased surveillance, law enforcement and collaboration with federal officials.
[8] The highest crime totals were recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the crack epidemic surged,[9][10] and then dropped through the 1990s and 2000s.
The city's dramatic drop in crime has been variously attributed to a number of factors, including the end of the crack epidemic, the increased incarceration rate,[9][10] gentrification, an aging population, and the decline of lead poisoning in children.
[12] The boroughs of Queens and Staten Island have historically had lower crime rates compared to Brooklyn, The Bronx and Manhattan.
[17] New York has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the country, partially due to its large immigrant population and status as a major port of entry.
According to a 2011 Department of State report, New York, together with California, Texas, and Oklahoma, has the largest concentrations of survivors of human trafficking.