I'm not at all encouraged about the future in regards the NYPD. Though the cops I talk to seem to enjoy the appreciation they are receiving from the city, as well as the whole country, there are significant structural problems in the department that are getting difficult to paper over. The salary is low, living expenses are high, and the surrounding counties pay far better. So the city constantly loses officers from all ranks. In addition, there were particularly large classes of officers that graduated from the academy in the early '80's. These men and women are rapidly approaching retirement as their pensions kick in. And with NYC being Al Sharpton headquarters, there is little incentive for them to stay. So thousands of years of LEO experience will go with them. I have been told that there is a widespread awareness that one mistake by a cop will lead to his being thrown to the wolves by the city's politicians. They know that the current "era of good feelings" will not last, and the "civil-rights" mob will be back on the prowl as soon as it is politically expedient to do so.
So along with the financial problems, this tiny insignificant spike in crime may be a watershed event for post-Giuliani New York.