NYPD Commissioner Denies Work Slowdown Underway
By Shant Shahrigian
Source New York Daily News (TNS)
NEW YORK -- The NYPD is not engaged in a work slowdown, Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea again insisted on Monday.
“Officers are out there every day, doing their job,” Hizzoner said at a press conference. “I’m not going to allow the perception to overcome reality.”
“The reality is, our officers are doing their job under very adverse circumstances,” he added.
Shea acknowledged that “some of the numbers ... are indisputable — the arrest levels are down, the response times are up.
“Some of the other numbers that haven’t been mentioned is ... the overtime has come up, the attrition is certainly up higher than I would like in terms of officers retiring and other cuts,” he continued.
“New York City police officers and detectives are as dedicated today as they ever have been,” Shea concluded.
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 9 arrests were down 39% compared to the same time frame last year, according to NYPD stats reported by the Wall Street Journal. In July, the average response time was 9 minutes and 41 seconds, up from 8 minutes and 29 seconds a year earlier, NY1 recently reported.
The stats prompted Councilman Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) and Brooklyn Borough President to call for an independent investigation of the possible slowdown.
“DOI has received this request and is reviewing it,” Department of Investigation spokeswoman Diane Struzzi said in a Monday statement.
De Blasio’s office declined to comment on the request.
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