City Council To Hear Proposed Changes To NYPD 'Broken Windows' Policing
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is expected to send a set of new proposals on the department's "broken windows" policing to the City Council on Friday.
Bratton defends that arresting people for minor quality-of-life offenses stops larger crimes from happening, but he said the department can consider easing penalties for first-time offenders.
"We can in some respects change the penalty process, change the process that has become cumbersome and unfair," Bratton said Thursday at the Police Academy in College Point, Queens.
Click here to read Bratton's complete quality of life crime report (.pdf)
The commissioner now says he's all in with finding a way to make changes sought by the City Council for dealing — civilly, not criminally — with things like public consumption of alcohol, bicycling on the sidewalk, being in a park after hours and failure to obey a park sign.
Bratton said he absolutely will not change the job police officers do. People will still be stopped for those offenses and if they have something like an illegal gun in their possession all bets are off, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
Bratton said he's willing to give officers discretion on whether a minor crime deserves a summons, fine or warning.
The City Council was thrilled.
"For too long, these policies have driven a wedge between law enforcement and the communities they serve while also clogging our criminal justice system. It's time to put the justice back in our criminal justice system," Council communications director Eric Koch said.
