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The NYPD may not be using the same bottom-up approach of going after petty crimes as vehemently as they had been for much of the last two decades. Misdemeanors (as well as parking and moving violations) are down for the second year in a row—this year's drop over 7%. This past year, the NYPD stopped having designated "summons officers" at each precinct, leading to questions if they have loosened up on former Mayor Giuliani's zero-tolerance policy for quality-of-life crimes, which the Post credits for "leading to widespread reductions in minor and major crimes." A Poli-Sci professor at John Jay College tells the paper, "Nobody wants to become a police officer to deal with minor traffic violations or issue summonses to people urinating in public." Maybe 2009 will be the year the NYPD will loosen up on stoop drinking.
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I have noticed less parking tickets on the UES. Cars pretty close to hydrants and no tickets. A year or two ago they were hitting cars that seems well outside the restriced zone.
Fewer parking tickets would probably be unrelated, since most parking tickets are written by Traffic Enforcement Agents, not "summons officers" or any other actual cops.
we an only hope and pray since theft and other crimes will be going up along with unemployment. The police will have more real crimes to deal with
your comment was somewhat confusing, but please don't include me in that "we" who hopes and prays that more serious crimes happen for the police to deal with
From the amount of tickets we get in brooklyn, i think they've just switched burroughs. We've had dispute several that were clearly written by an idiot for Hydrant & bus stop violations when we were clearly in the right. Last year alone we had anywhere from $75-$140 monthly costs in tickets, it's absurd.
They're still the same agressive pricks around my way.
I agree that petty harassment by cops is a pain in the ass. But isn't this a penny-wise, pound-foolish plan by the cops--a repudiation of the broken-windows urban policy instituted by Bill Bratton? Giuliani made his bones on the reduction of crime as Mayor (let's ignore 9/11), despite the fact that he booted Bratton to LA.
I won't deny that I was unhappy that sidewalk beer-sippers would get hassled, but I also won't say I'm unhappy that girlfriends could walk the streets in formally marginal neighborhoods unmolested--or me, for that matter.
Budget issues are tight, but are we throwing out the baby with the bathwater? Crime is expensive--cops, courts, administration, jails. Is this a smart move?
Maybe parking tickets are down because jobs are down and less people are driving into the city.
Here's what Rudy concentrated million of our tax dollars on while he was doing a lousy job of being our mayor:
In New York City, arrests for marijuana possession and use had risen from less than 2,000 in 1992 to more than 52,000 in 2000. Minor marijuana offenses now comprise 15% of all arrests in the city of New York.
Possession of small amounts of marijuana had already been decriminalized by the laws of New York State, but Rudy decided to lock up smokers... even though most of them had no prior arrest record and were the same middle class people whom he claimed to be making the city safer for. Thousands of people were routinely busted on Friday night, held over the weekend in lockup, brought before a judge on Monday and sentenced to time served... even though the law would have allowed for the police to write an appearance ticket and a fine could have been paid. Yep... plenty of pot-smoking right-wingers would also have been locked up and now have an arrest record if you lived in NYC during Rudy's reign.
As for the often-cited drop in crime, people who have actually studied this know that there was a similar drop in crime nationwide. There was also a much better and effective use of the Police, thanks to Chief William Bratton (whom Rudy fired because HE wanted the credit for everything good happening in NYC) and his strong right hand man, Jack Maple. There were more Police on the streets of NYC because Bill Clinton, along with balancing the Federal Budget, allocated funds for more than 100,000 more cops in America. (One of dozens of campaign promises he either met or exceeded... as opposed to the last few repug presidents, who have never kept a promise. George W. refused to renew the funding for those policeman, which is why new recruits to the Police Department had to accept a $10,000 per year cut in their starting salaries... but, of course, to repugs, it's more important to give tax cuts to the oil companies than it is to pay policeman, isn't it?) It was David Dinkins who went after these funds and put them into the NYPD... but, of course, Rudy claimed that it was HE who got that funding. Check the timeline and you'll see that Rudy is, as usual, lying about his accomplishments.
Correlation does not necessarily mean causation. There's no real evidence that a decreasing trend in arrests for minor crimes is attributable to a change in assignment of some officers, and from the evidence presented here and in the Post article not even much evidence that those happenings even correlate. That is:
Misdemeanors (as well as parking and moving violations) are down for the second year in a row—this year's drop over 7%. This past year, the NYPD stopped having designated "summons officers" at each precinct
The trend has been in that direction for two years, but the policy change only happened sometime within the past year -- which could mean several months.
The downward trend was happening before the event that caused it? Wow, that's weird.
Why is it that when reports of major crimes trend downward, it's because the police are doing a good job and crimes are therefore being committed less frequently but when it's minor crimes the conclusion is that the police just aren't enforcing them but the crimes are really happening at the same rate?
Couldn't it be the case that fewer misdemeanors were committed in 2008 than in 2007?
I'll believe it when the reports of police activity from the next warm weather Critical Mass don't sound like Death Race 2000 or Rollerball.
I am sure the disaster that is the bootleggers criminal heaven
on 28th street and Broadway, right under the
NYPD video cameras is part of this new looking the other way.
An occasional homicide here for turf does not matter
I guess cause they are amongst Africans that peddle.
One should see the face of tourist going up Broadway in
this area,fear and holding the kiddies close.
A Poli-Sci professor at John Jay College tells the paper, "Nobody wants to become a police officer to deal with minor traffic violations or issue summonses to people urinating in public."
Tough fucking shit! Being a policeman is a job like any other. Every job has its irritants. Suck it up and deal. If it bores you, just hang up the badge and give the chance at a pension after 20 years to someone else. Thanks.