Crime In New York

New York in the 1800’s was a land that brought new idea, freedom, and prosperity. It however, did not bring the ideal safety that many of us have today. Over population was a problem in many houses, fires and crime rates ran very high, and jobs did not promise any security. In fact, New York was not a very safe place to live at all.

Over population In New York served as a very big issue to European immigrants. The first immigrants to come over were Germany and Irish, with Southern and Eastern Europeans quickly following. Approximately 12 million immigrants from these countries arrived in New York just from 1870-1900 alone. When they arrived in the new land they all brought their own cultures and churches with them and began settling in their

From 1870-1900, crime rate in New York hit its peak. Alcohol was very cheap at this time, and drugs such as cocaine were very easy to come by. Prostitution and gambling were not uncommon seeing as they were not illegal. The formation of gangs began in the city as well. These weren’t just common thugs though, a lot of young, working-class men began to join together to form gangs. Many of the larger gangs were the Gophers, Five Pointers, Sheilders, and Monk Eastman. These gangs began fighting in the streets, and committing serious crimes. Some of these crimes involved strong-armed robbery and political corruption. Homicide rates also increased during this time at 10%. These deaths were mostly held at the hands of gang fights, and people who had too much to drink. Many of these crimes were not getting stopped, or treated justly because of corruption in the police department. The first police were formed in 1845 to ensure the government have limited power. Police men were elected for a one-year term. However, this lasted for a very short time and many policemen soon roamed the city. With this happening, it became very uncertain who the real authorities were. Around 1894 corruption was detected, and the NYPD and New York State Senate held investigation. They found that police officer was being hired out to perform jobs for the citizens. Some of the citizens that were commonly hiring out these officers were gamblers and saloon owners. These jobs would pay as high as $15,000 ($400,000 today). Many of the police offers began to do work for gangs as well. Life is not very safe when the men that are supposed to be protecting you are working for the other side, letting vandalism run