The NYPD has drastically scaled back its effort to go after low-level offenders in the wake of the execution-style murder of two cops, according to the New York Post. From December 22 through December 28, traffic tickets and criminal-court summonses for minor offenses—including public drunkenness and urination—dropped 94 percent from 2013 during the same time frame.
The number of parking violations plummeted a whopping 92 percent, from 14,699 last year to 1,241 during the same time frame this year. And, the Post reports, the overall number of arrests has decreased 66 percent since last year.
Some cops have already admitted to turning a blind eye toward minor crime, including one who told the Post: “I’m not writing any summonses. Do you think I’m going to stand there so someone can shoot me or hit me in the head with an ax?” New York City mayor Bill de Blasio and police commissioner Bill Bratton plan to hold an emergency meeting with the heads of five police unions today to address the rift between the city and police that feel betrayed by de Blasio.