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Over the weekend, the New York Police Department’s 20th Precinct, which covers West 59th to West 86th Street, announced via its ‘Build the Block’ email alias that 15 new officers will be joining the team. This addition, along with the 12 officers added in November, brings the precinct’s total to around 95 officers.
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“During this past year, crime reports and violent incidents in areas encompassing Council District 6 – served by the NYPD’s 24, 20, Central Park and Midtown North Precincts – have increased dramatically,” wrote Councilmember Brewer. She noted that she was echoing community members and organizations, including the Upper West Side Coalition of Block Associations. Brewer added that violence, such as the shooting at the intersection of West 71st Street and Broadway on Halloween night, or on 69th and Columbus Avenue in November, is happening too often.
Brewer detailed that prior to these incidents, a regular police presence had been requested in “high-traffic corridors like 71st Street and Broadway.” She noted that, until the shooting, patrol officers were assigned intermittently, and residents reported there weren’t enough police to maintain a consistent physical presence. The Councilmember thanked Deputy Inspector Candida Pun-Sullivan of the 20th Precinct for engaging with the community on these issues and for placing officers in the area regularly. ILTUWS has continued to observe the NYPD’s presence in and around the McDonald’s on 71st Street during lunch and after-school peak hours.
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“We need more police patrols to support their fellow officers, and we need more investment in mental health treatment,” Brewer added, also requesting additional officers for the 24th Precinct, which covers West 86th Street to 100th Street, from Central Park West to a portion of Riverside Park. As of this writing, additional units have only been added to the 20th Precinct.
To read City Council Brewer’s letter in full, click here.
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As Ms. Brewer said, what we really need is “more investment in mental health treatment” but I guess it’s still more profitable to just jail people.
The 24th stretches up to 110th, not 100th.
That oughta do it.
Adding more officers is but one of the changes that are needed. Others include bail reform – it is patently ridiculous that someone can still $999 worth of goods, get arrested and then just get a desk appearance ticket. That same person is free to go out and steal another $999 worth of goods. Some people cycle in/out 3 or 4 times/day.
We also need to stop the proliferation of shelters on the UWS. A number of the newer ones are backed by private equity money. PE firms don’t do anything out of the goodness of their hearts… there is great profit in creating shelters for housing. The city pays the cost to house each person. A shelter is a low-risk proposition, unlike buying an apartment building with tenants who sometimes don’t pay. The city always pays.
My philosophy is not NIMBY but the UWS had become a dumping ground for all types of shelters… there are other neighborhoods in Manhattan as well as four other boroughs.