New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea on Friday blamed Democratic leaders’ bail reform measures for a sharp rise in crime, pointing to statistics that show larceny, burglaries, and other crimes are skyrocketing.
“Since 2020 began, as of Friday at midnight, robberies are up 32.5 percent, car theft is up 61 percent and burglaries are up 18 percent compared to the same time period last year,” The New York Post .
“And the numbers aren’t fractions either — a total of 233 more robberies have happened this year compared to last, 159 more car thefts and 125 more burglaries, just in the last three weeks,” the paper added.
Shea noted, “In the first three weeks of this year, we’re seeing significant spikes in crime. So either we forgot how to police New York City, or there’s a correlation.
“If you let out individuals that commit a lot of crime, that’s precision policing in reverse and we’re seeing the effects in a very quick time, and that is why we’re so concerned,” the NYPD commissioner added.
Democratic mayors and prosecutors around the country are implementing new “criminal justice reform” measures that seek to get rid of bail requirements for a bevy of lower-level quality-of-life crimes, while decriminalizing other behaviors including prostitution and some previous drug offenses.
The results have been predictable, say law enforcement officials.
“People say it just took effect, you can’t have consequences already. Take a look at the comp stat,” Shea continued. “We’re seeing it immediately at the same time that you have [state and local jail] populations dropping significantly. Now don’t tell me there’s not a correlation to that.”
“You have to have a situation where dangerous individuals, or individuals that repeatedly commit crimes and victimize people, are kept in,” Shea added. “And if judges don’t have that ability, I think we’re all in trouble, and I don’t think any New Yorker wants that to happen.”
In addition, Shea criticized new discovery laws that have been implemented by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and that of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“The second piece is going to take longer and then it’s going to be a one-two punch as discovery takes hold,” Shea said. “Discovery is going to change how crimes are prosecuted in New York. … When you have instances where witnesses and victims will be afraid to call the police, that is a real problem and that needs to be fixed… this is something that affects all New Yorkers.”
In a separate , the New York Post noted that the new law has freed one-fifth of New York’s prison population.
Last month in an interview with Fox News, de Blasio defended the new laws and refuted accusations he was being soft on crime.
“No, it’s not. It’s trying to get people out of crime and keep them out of crime. Look, if you want us to do what we have done for decades, which bred career criminals, which ensured that a lot of people were locked up and that only made them worse, we could keep doing that,” he said.