NYPD: Repeat Offenders, Young People With Guns Big Problems Mayor-Elect Adams Will Need To Solve
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Fighting crime during the pandemic continues to be a problem for the NYPD, which in the last crime report of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration saw a slight drop in murders and an increase in gun arrests last month.
However, there were significant increases in a host of other crimes, including those committed on the subway, creating more headaches for Mayor-elect Eric Adams, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday.
One of the reasons why Adams, a former NYPD captain, was elected mayor was the belief that he would be able to make the city safer.
WATCH: Mayor De Blasio, Commissioner Shea Discuss Latest NYPD Crime Stats
At his last briefing on the city's crime rate, outgoing Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said that recidivism -- people repeatedly committing crimes -- and the number of young people with guns will be among the two biggest problems on the first day of the new administration.
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Both the mayor and the commissioner are calling for judges to do more to keep people off the streets.
"We do need a culture of consequence. We got to get the court system back and running. We got to create a reality where everyone knows there are consequences for their actions," de Blasio said.
The mayor blamed the courts, again, for the fact that despite gains in city safety before the pandemic hit, his administration has had to deal with often difficult and intractable problems that have made New Yorkers afraid to walk the streets and afraid to take the subways.
Yes, murders were down slightly last month -- 24, compared to 29 in 2020 -- and, yes, there were more gun arrests. But transit crimes were up 106% last month -- 235 versus 114 in 2020. Grand larceny was up 40% (4,433 versus 3,153), and hate crime was up 97% (494 so far this year, compared to 251 last year.)
"We know what the blueprint is. We just need to now hone it and get back on to that path," Shea said.
Shea was candid in talking about the problems he is leaving the incoming mayor.
"What we are seeing is recidivism, and that will be the challenge, I think, to build on and make inroads in for the next administration, when you see some of the shootings that we see," Shea said.
Shea said that 30% of the people arrested for shootings have an open felony case, and that 10% of young people under 18 are arrested for possession of firearms. That's up from just 1.8%.
"We know we have a lot of work to do," Shea said. "We have to address some of the small fixes to some of the laws that are hurting us on the recidivism. We are seeing upticks in all the metrics in terms of people arrested over and over, and it's the same story. It's not widespread. It is small numbers of people that are, unfortunately, doing some harm to New Yorkers."
With a dramatic increase in the number of weapons found in schools, both the mayor and police commissioner were asked if there should be an increase in metal detectors. Both ducked the question, saying it had to be decided on a case-by-case basis. This is another issue that Mayor-elect Adams will have to address sooner rather than later.
