NYPD 911 Response Times Reach Record Highs

From the NY Post: NYPD response times hit record highs of over 16 minutes as cops face dwindling ranks, 'unnecessary' paperwork

I think this is mostly a paper work issue, but we will get to that in a bit.

It took cops 16 minutes and 12 seconds on average to respond to a crime in progress, starting from when a 911 call was placed to when they arrived at the scene, over the first four months of the 2024 fiscal year.

That marked an increase of nearly two minutes, from 14 minute and 12 seconds, compared to the same time frame in the 2023 fiscal year

For "non-critical" crimes, it can take more than 30 minutes. That includes shoplifting.

For critical calls, such as an assault or robbery in progress, the wait time is more than 9 and a half minutes. A lot of bad things can happen in that time.

Why do I blame this mostly on paperwork?

In the late ’90s, there were nearly twice as many major crimes reported each year than there are now.

The police force had more than 40,000 uniformed members at that time, while now its ranks sit at just over 33,500.

I could also believe that there are just more 911 calls today than there were in the 1990s, adding to congestion. I could also believe that there is more bureaucratic insanity, and cops assigned to things that don't contribute to fighting crime.

City Hall is also blaming traffic congestion for delaying cops. Somewhere I read that all the bike lanes added have significantly increased traffic - there are fewer lanes for cars, after all - slowing down fire-response, and probably police response. I'm not 100 percent sure that was in NYC, however; it may have been an article about Seattle.

However you explain it away, 9 minutes is a long time to wait when bad things are happening. If your only plan is to call 911, and wait... but then this is New York City; nothing else is allowed.