Overview
- On Tuesday Mayor Zohran Mamdani told PIX11 that much of the city’s rise in reported rapes reflects the 2024 change to what legally counts as rape and survivors coming forward about past assaults.
- NYPD CompStat data published last week show reported rapes were about 6.6 percent higher year over year even after the state law went into effect.
- The 'Rape is Rape Act,' signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in January 2024 and implemented in September 2024, expanded the statutory definition to include nonconsensual oral and anal conduct as well as vaginal conduct.
- Critics including City Council members and conservative commentators accused Mamdani of using the legal change to deflect responsibility for public safety, while supporters said he was providing statistical context and praising survivors for reporting.
- The dispute highlights two likely effects to watch: whether city leaders adopt new prevention or policing measures in response to rising reports and how changes in law and reporting practices will complicate short-term crime comparisons for policymakers and the public.