New York City Murders Fall, but the Police Aren’t Celebrating
Source: NY Times
The number of murders in New York City has hit what just a few years ago would have been a seemingly impossible low: 321 killings in 2014, with only a day left in the year, the lowest figure since before the Police Department began collecting reliable statistics in 1963.
But there is little celebration among the citys police, who have heard calls to reverse their policing practices and found their representatives in a public struggle with Mayor Bill de Blasio that, in the last week, has led to a dramatic drop in the policing of everyday crime.
In the week since two Brooklyn officers were killed by a man who singled them out for their police uniforms, the number of summonses for minor criminal offenses, as well as those for parking and traffic violations, has decreased by more than 90 percent versus the same week a year earlier, and felony arrests were nearly 40 percent lower, according to Police Department statistics.
The two precincts directly affected by the deaths the 79th, where Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were killed on Dec. 20, and the 84th, where they were usually assigned saw a single criminal summons in the week. Officers wrote no parking or traffic tickets. By contrast, the combined tally of criminal summonses alone during the same week last year reached 130.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/new-york-city-murders-fall-but-the-police-arent-celebrating.html?google_editors_picks=true
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)is how someone described these NYPD tactics (back-turning, refusing to do an honest days work, etc.).
And i agree with that.
I would only add that it also reeks of classic protection racketeering
keep you safe at night while you're sleeping" (paraphrase of Patrick Lynch CEO of cops "union"
progressoid
(49,999 posts)Does that include killings by cops?
DLnyc
(2,479 posts)I guess a bunch of macho cops cruising around menacing people doesn't help our quality of life as much as they think it does.
msongs
(67,441 posts)Earth_First
(14,910 posts)If crime is statistically down and summons have decreased as a result of their unannounced 'pity strike' it would seem to me that there is a gross issue of overstaffing within the ranks of the NYPD.
If the supposed crimes are going unnoticed as a result, what are they doing all day on the taxpayer dole?
I doubt it, however this could backfire tremendously on the NYPD.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Without a lot of success.
http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Blog/2012/February/29-A-New-Look-at-Theodore-Roosevelt-as-Police-Commissioner.aspx
At that time, the police were lax in carrying out their duties and very corrupt. Extortion, shake-downs, protection rackets were common.
Theodore Roosevelt walked around the city at night and caught police officers who weren't doing their jobs or who were trying to shake honest people down.
Confronting the LAPD did not harm Theodore Roosevelt's political career. The police force was in the wrong. People knew it. Theodore Roosevelt of course went on to become not only the governor of the state of New York but President of the United States.
De Blasio would do well to read up on Theodore Roosevelt's life and remember that fighting the NYPD is a great way to further a political career. It's tough, but the experience may just make you look presidential down the road.
Photos of Roosevelt as police commissioner:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AmmzRBwxSn.mlsS84kW.l_VXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzMTIxZTJtBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzYwR2dGlkA1ZJUDQ3Nl8x?p=Theodore+Roosevelt+Police+Commissioner&fr=tightropetb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/29/take-heart-de-blasio-even-theodore-roosevelt-couldnt-deal-with-the-nypd/
De Blasio could succeed where Teddy Roosevelt failed. I hope so.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)How do we make that into something bad?
fbc
(1,668 posts)We should apparently offend the police more often if this is how they take it.
fbc
(1,668 posts)question everything
(47,534 posts)will it sit down with the mayor and try to work something out?