Our Real Solutions To Fight Crime In NYC

May 13, 2022 Curtis Sliwa and Bob Capano

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Another week, another poll showing Big Apple voters disapproving of Democrats handling of crime, and more stats showing no relief in sight for New Yorkers who just want to feel safe in their city.

According to NYPD stats, major crimes were up 34.2% last month compared to April 2021. More specifically, robberies were up 41.5%; felony assaults increased 20.9%; burglaries rose 39.4%; major thefts jumped 43.5%; and there was an uptick in auto theft of 26.8%.

New Yorkers are genuinely afraid on their streets and subways. In fact, just last week a subway conductor told MTA CEO Janno Lieber during a radio interview on WNYC that “The public, the ridership, is not safe…the New York City subway system is a magnet and a haven for criminals. We need constant police presence. Anyone who tells you that the subway is safe, they’re not being honest with New Yorkers.”

Public opinion backs this sentiment up. A just released Quinnipiac poll shows that 49% of city voters believe crime is the top concern. This transcends all neighborhoods and boroughs. Indeed, for the first time in their history the anti-crime civilian patrol Guardian Angels were recently asked to assist in the normally tranquil neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Forest Hills, Queens. A senior woman greeted the Guardian Angels in Forest Hills by saying, “We need you desperately and I can not thank you enough. God bless you and thank you for keeping us safe.”

New Yorkers are also souring on the purported “law and order” Mayor. 54% of Big Apple residents now disapprove of Mayor Adams’ handling of crime- up from 35% in February.

Here are few ideas to really fight crime and reverse these trends:

Our NYPD needs an addition 6,000 police officers since their budget was cut by a billion dollars in 2020 and a significant increase in retirements has brought the force down to 34,000.
Police in the subways must begin to patrol up and down moving trains, not just station themselves by the toll booths and on the platforms.
The NYPD must resume vertical patrols up and down the stairwells of the 325 housing projects in NYCHA.
The NYPD must return to the real anti-crime unit that had 600 undercover members who would do “jump-outs” and selectively use stop and frisk in known gang areas.
Mayor Adams must call out directly and forcefully Governor Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to make more substantive changes to the disastrous bail reform law. This includes allowing judges to consider the “dangerousness” of a defendant when deciding on bail. Significantly, every other state allows judges this discretion.

It is time for Mayor Adams to stop with the swagger and to dig in and get to work fighting crime as he promised during his campaign.

Curtis Silwa

Curtis Sliwa is the Founder of the Guardian Angels & was the 2021 GOP candidate for NYC Mayor. Bob Capano has served in senior positions to NYC Republican and Democrat elected officials and was an adjunct professor of political science at John Jay College for over 15 years.