NEW YORK—The New York Police Department is temporarily assigning at least 313 more police officers to street patrol over the summer.
“Citizens on the street will see more police officers because of this initiative,” said Chief of Department Philip Banks. “The object is in fact to have an impact on street conditions.”
The NYPD is trying to address an increase in shootings. In the last few weeks there have been several shootings across the boroughs, and shootings have increased year-to-date from last year.
The “Summer All Out” program will last 90 days, with a two-day refresher program to get the officers ready. The officers will be assigned to the 10 precincts across the city with the highest numbers of shootings.
Unions have responded critically to the program but “the needs of the department will always come before the needs of individuals,” responded Police Commissioner William Bratton. Officers have been pulled from nearly all departments for the summer program.
Chief of patrol James O'Neill said the largest precincts geographically, like precinct 47 in the Bronx, will have 40 officers. Most other precincts will have 15-20 officers assigned.
Year to date, there have been 562 shootings and 153 homicides, up from 514 shootings last year at this time, but there is an overall downward trend over the last decade.
Bratton also said he thinks the city can achieve the goal of keeping homicides under 300 this year, which would be a record low.
A class of over 600 police officers recently graduated and have been assigned to mostly high-crime precincts and transit areas, Bratton said, so New Yorkers will see a net increase of officers on the street.
