In New York City’s latest mayoral election, the matter of crime was a front and center issue.
With crime growing in the community, it’s very clear some changes need to be made. During just this year alone, multiple New York City police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Then, there are everyday civilians who have been attacked and brutalized in the streets by completely unprovoked perpetrators.
A huge factor in Mayor Eric Adams winning the city’s election was his promise to get rid of crime. The Democratic mayor claimed, while he was still a candidate, that his job history as a police officer would be vital to him ending crime.
This week, the mayor announced that New York City can expect the return of the anti-crime group know as the Neighborhood Safety Teams, according to National Review.
The Return of Neighborhood Safety Teams
Back in 2020, after George Floyd riots, New York City dissolved the Neighborhood Safety Teams. This was something Adams criticized back then; now, as mayor, he’s bringing back this anti-crime group.
Thus far, the Democrat’s goals entail having the Neighborhood Safety Teams in 30 different divisions across the city. Although, for right now, there will be five separate precincts tied to the unit.
This is getting retweets so I wanted to add to the thread: they have denied my request. So the official position of the NYPD is that the public cannot know who is assigned to the neighborhood safety teams. Is that "community policing"? I'll appeal and update in time. pic.twitter.com/guubX1Lex0
— john teufel esq (@JohnTeufelNYC) March 22, 2022
However, the return of Neighborhood Safety Teams doesn’t come without some changes. The last time this group was operational, its police officers did not wear uniforms that showed they were on the job.
This time, Mayor Adams is having police officers working for these teams wear their uniforms accordingly, rather than plain clothing.
The Missing Puzzle Piece
While the New York City mayor is restoring Neighborhood Safety Teams, he has yet to rehire the police officers who lost their jobs earlier this year because of the city’s COVID vaccine mandate.
Many people could argue that if Adams was really prioritizing bringing law and order back to his community, having as many capable police officers working as possible would be good.
The NYPD is rolling out more Neighborhood Safety Teams. @NYCMayor Eric Adams says they will hone in on those committing the violence that’s plaguing NYC.
But some fear it will come at the cost of New Yorkers’ liberties. @CBSNewYork https://t.co/86Edo83zl3 pic.twitter.com/0afqjkG2TA— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) March 22, 2022
At this time, the mayor hasn’t indicated that he plans to give these officers back their jobs. The last Adams spoke of these fired police officers, he said they were actually voluntarily forfeiting their jobs by refusing to follow the city’s vaccination mandate.
It remains to be seen how the return of Neighborhood Safety Teams impacts New York City and the various crime rates that have been bogging it down. This could either make or break Adams’ promise to do away with crime.
What do you think about the mayor of New York City bringing back Neighborhood Safety Teams? Do you believe this is going to drive down the city’s crime rates? Please let us know what you think comes next in the comments area.
