In an exclusive sit-down interview, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey spoke with News 12's Katie Lusso about the NYPD's ongoing fight against gun violence in our city.

With gun violence making headlines seemingly every day, it may surprise New Yorkers that according to the NYPD, gun violence numbers in the past 28 days are lower than that of one year ago.

The NYPD says murders are down 36.4% and shooting incidents are down 16.2%. For the entire year to date, both numbers are down approximately 11%.Corey says that those numbers don't tell the full story."

The majority of the gun violence in NYC is driven by a very small number of people," said Corey. "We recognize that those numbers represent human beings we've put out a lot of resources both on the intervention end and the prevention end."

The NYPD doesn't just rely on 911 callers for their tips to make arrests - they also have access to cameras and ShotSpotter technology that helps.

Corey says the NYPD deployed 650 additional officers daily this summer - with half of them operating in subways while the other half are on foot in high-crime areas.

There are new challenges that police now face in the fight against gun violence, such as water bead blasters that resemble firearms."

A lot of people have taken to freezing the water beads," said Corey. "We've had a couple of instances where somebody got shot with a water bead gun and pulled out a real gun."

Corey also says the NYPD has seized an increasing number of ghost guns in recent years, a newer phenomenon that they have honed in on.

Corey sites the high gun violence to an issue with criminals getting released and then committing gun crimes afterwards."

We identified 716 people who are responsible for 30% of the shooting incidents in NYC. frustratingly we see many of them get arrested released arrested released," said Corey. "We really need the entire criminal justice system to get on board and that's really how we're gonna turn the tide."  

The Bronx District Attorney provided the following statement in regards to combatting gun violence: 

“The decision to carry or use illegal firearms threatens the lives of Bronx residents. The borough has seen far too many shootings, and we are working every day within the bounds of existing laws to stem the violence and hold those responsible accountable. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to deter gun violence in our community.”