() — New York voters in a recent poll said crime is now their top issue heading into the midterms despite a decline in the city’s murder rate this year.
But other crimes, including robbery, are up in the city. Ray Kelly, a former NYPD commissioner, attributed the rising crimes at least partially to an “overreaction” to the killing of George Floyd, after which a flood of new crime laws were instituted. He argues they’ve hampered the ability of officers to do their jobs and made them more reactive rather than proactive.
“The police see themselves, now, as being an at risk,” Kelly said Thursday night during an appearance on “CUOMO.” “They’re not doing any proactive policing… They’re doing reacted policing. They’re concerned about their career. They’re concerned about the well being of of their family.”
Kelly also said he’s been pushing for a reinstatement of the anti-crime units, which was disbanded in 2020. “People are afraid of being robbed or being mugged. We need those plainclothes police officers. The perpetrators are not looking over their shoulder because they know they don’t have to look over their shoulder. They know the police are not out there looking for that.”
