As Central Park Crime Rate Surges, NYPD Will Be Using Drones and Other Tech

The NYPD may have placed more cameras throughout Central Park’s northern region, but it does not appear to have had a material impact on the sizable overall increase–of 46 percent–in most major felonies categories within the beloved green enclave.

Mayor Eric Adams said police may soon be turning to drones and other high-tech devices in a bid to keep parkgoers safe.

“Such a vast, large area, I think we could do a better job in using drones to police the area from the sky,” Adams said during his weekly media availability on Aug. 13. “And there’s some new technology that we’re looking at that I think is going to assist us. We’ll roll it out when I think it’s time to do so.”

Adams also hinted at “new tactics,” but declined to disclose details after he claimed it would tip off criminals.

“There’s a combination of public safety tactics that we’re going to be using in that area,” Adams said. “We don’t want to let the bad guy know what we’re doing, because I know ‘all news all the time,’ they listen to 1010 to get their tips.”

In one recent incident, on the morning of Aug. 13, a 15-year-old boy and two men, aged 21 and 35, were reportedly robbed at gunpoint in the park’s Grand Army Plaza entrance by four teenagers.

The NYPD responded to a 911 call and arrested three of the suspects–aged 14, 16, and 17–without incident; the fourth fled. They were given robbery raps, and since they are minors, their identities won’t be released.

This is only the latest such incident, as reported robberies in the park have tripled compared to last year, with 30 incidents reported by the week ending August 11. Only 13 robberies occurred in the Central Park precinct in 2023, according to police statistics. There were five robberies on a 28-day basis, compared to only three in the same period last year.

Central Park, which is a half-mile wide and over 2.5 miles long, has its own police precinct patrolling its 843 acres.

This year, felony assaults are also elevated, with ten incidents so far this year, compared to seven in 2023. Grand larceny is slightly up, with 31 incidents by August 11, compared to 30 last year. On a two-year basis, however, it’s increased by 98 percent.

During the announcement of the additional cameras in late July, cops specifically cited the attempted rape of a 21-year-old sunbathing woman near the park’s Great Hill in June. A 43-year-old resident of the Upper West Side, Jermaine Longmire, was arrested in connection with that case. He had allegedly jumped on the woman from behind, before being fought off and fleeing. He was arrested after a considerable manhunt, which was aided by his victim. DNA from the woman’s bikini was instrumental in apprehending Longmire, cops said.

As for the Central Park robberies that have surged, some of the most prominent ones have involved phone thefts. In late May, an 83 year-old snapping photos on the park’s West Dr. had his cellular device snatched, cops said. In July, a teen sitting on a bench at W. 59th St. likewise reportedly had his phone seized, plus $80. In April, a woman was both groped in the park and had her phone taken, cops said.

In another recent incident on August 1, a 37-year-old man sitting on a bench near the Wollman Rink was reportedly robbed of his wallet at knife-point, cops said. The authorities claimed that a mob 15 to 20 people had surrounded him, and the suspects are still at large.