Op-Ed: What Would Manhattan DA Candidates Do About Violent Crime?

In an era of unrest and cries for social justice, the eight declared candidates for Manhattan district attorney have, to varying degrees, embraced progressive prosecutorial agendas — aiming to reduce the focus on incarceration in favor of more lenient alternatives, social services, and greater scrutiny of police officers. These efforts are laudable, but the recent increase in violent crime raises concerns about how far we can go before negatively impacting public safety.

Before this pandemic year, Manhattan had seen a 38% reduction in shooting victims from 2010 — DA Cy Vance's first year in office — through the end of last year, and a 19% reduction in homicides. But this year, as this paper's editorial page noted this month, shooting victims have increased by 74% over 2019, and homicides by about 45%.