What does justice actually cost? Manhattan is 6.3x more expensive per cleared crime than the Bronx.
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Overall Efficiency (All 7 Major Crimes, Q1 2024 - Q2 2025, 18 months):
The Workload Paradox: Manhattan detectives handle 7.5x FEWER crimes per detective than Bronx (11.2 vs 84.2), yet cost 6.0x MORE per clearance ($63,161 vs $10,465). Bronx detectives are handling ~56 crimes/year each while Manhattan detectives handle only ~7 crimes/year each. Manhattan has 4,051 detectives (7.6x more than Bronx's 536) and spends $735M on detective compensation (7.4x more than Bronx's $99M).
This is not a resource problem - it's a productivity problem. Manhattan detectives are massively overstaffed and dramatically underperforming.
Cost per clearance by crime type
Using FY2024 detective compensation and Q1 2024 - Q2 2025 clearance data (18 months): Murder ranges from $3,941 (Bronx) to $26,320 (Manhattan) per clearance. Rape: $6,524 (Bronx) to $68,411 (Manhattan) - a 10.5x difference! Robbery: $6,263 (Bronx) to $40,245 (Manhattan). Full analysis across all 7 major crime types available.
Cost per clearance by precinct
Borough-level data shows massive disparities (Bronx 6.3x more efficient than Manhattan). Precinct-level data would identify best practices to replicate and worst performers needing reform.
Precinct-level clearance data + precinct-level staffing/budget allocations
FOIL request: "Clearance rates by precinct and crime type for 2020-2025, plus personnel headcount and budget allocation by precinct"
By crime type
Arrests ≠ clearances. Some arrests do not clear cases, and some cases are cleared without arrests. Understanding cost per arrest helps evaluate if we are arresting efficiently.
Total arrests by crime type and borough/precinct + personnel costs
FOIL request: "Total arrests by crime type, precinct, and month for 2020-2025"
By crime type
The ultimate measure of effectiveness. If arrests do not lead to convictions, we are wasting resources and potentially harming innocent people. Cost per conviction shows true value.
Conviction data from District Attorneys + NYPD cost data
FOIL requests to both NYPD and NYC District Attorneys: "Conviction rates by crime type and originating precinct for 2020-2025, linked to arrest case numbers"
Budget per resident by precinct
Are we over-policing some neighborhoods and under-policing others? Cost per capita by precinct reveals equity issues and resource allocation fairness.
Precinct-level budget allocations + population data by precinct
FOIL request: "Total budget allocation (personnel + operations) by precinct for FY2020-2025"
Cost per outcome trending
Partial data shows worsening value: Overtime spending increased 119% under Adams (FY2022-2025), but we only have Q1 2025 clearance data for comparison. Cannot assess multi-year trend without historical clearance rates.
The Pattern: Across ALL 7 major crime categories (Murder, Rape, Robbery, Felony Assault, Burglary, Grand Larceny, Car Theft), Manhattan is consistently 6-15x more expensive per cleared crime than the Bronx.
The Paradox: Despite having 7.6x more detectives and spending 7.4x more on detective compensation, Manhattan achieves nearly identical clearance rates (40.7% vs 41.4%) at vastly higher cost.
The Workload Reality: This is NOT a resource problem. Manhattan detectives handle only 11.2 crimes per detective (18 months) - that is 7.5x FEWER than Bronx detectives who handle 84.2 crimes each. Annualized, Bronx detectives handle ~56 crimes/year while Manhattan detectives handle only ~7 crimes/year. Manhattan is massively overstaffed yet dramatically underperforming.
The $700M Question: If Manhattan matched Bronx efficiency, the same number of cleared crimes would cost $700M less per year. That is triple the entire estimated savings from precinct consolidation, and this gap exists while Manhattan detectives have 7.5x LIGHTER workloads.