lawenforcementtoday.com

On Wednesday, May 25th, Bill Bratton appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” and said that the crime problem in the United States essentially has been created by the politicians running many of the cities and states.

We speak with @CommissBratton the former #policecommissioner #nyc about what needs to be done to combat #crime at 7:30;#gdny https://t.co/4fV586DvFL

— Rosanna Scotto (@rosannascotto) May 26, 2022

 

Bratton, the Homeland Security Advisory Council Co-Chair and former Police Commissioner of Boston, Los Angeles, and New York, said that the consequences of the “defund the police” movement have been seen in “serious crime rates” in these cities.

Bratton also said that “during the height of the defund insanity in this city,” there was a push to taken police out of schools. During the appearance, around 2:10, Bratton stated:

“I speak out frequently … about the need for more, the stupidity of the defund the police movement that they quickly retreated from. We have almost 100,000 fewer police officers today than we had several years ago.”

He added:

“Many departments did suffer defunding. Los Angeles, New York, and we see the consequences of that defunding before they reversed it in the serious crime rates that those cities are experiencing.

One of the things that we need more funding for certainly is training of police officers. We don’t do enough initial training and we certainly do not do enough in-service training throughout their career.”

Bratton continued:

“…The crime crises in America today have been created — has been created by the politicians in many of our cities and states, certainly the case here in New York City, with their misguided criminal justice and bail reform efforts. So, let’s look to the source of this crime spike that we’re experiencing. It’s largely political, with the laws that they passed and the attacks on police.”

An important discussion on @FoxNews with @TeamCavuto about the tragic gun violence across the nation and the crises of crime and disorder in our cities. pic.twitter.com/r1KGi3Of58

— Bill Bratton (@CommissBratton) May 26, 2022

 

He added:

“I don’t think most school teachers want to be armed. That’s not what they signed up to do. They signed up to teach. So, the decision about what level of security we need in our schools is left up to each municipality.”

He stated:

“Here in New York City, during the height of the defund insanity in this city, there was an effort being made to basically take … police out of the school. The irony of it was that the majority of those schools police are minorities themselves, many of whom have children in that school system.”

According to a report by Fox News, the rising crime rates in New York City are what’s really keeping workers out of their offices, not COVID-19. The city projects that at least 20 percent of New York City office space is likely to remain empty through the year 2026.

Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit group that advocates for local business leaders, said that the city’s declining office attendance is not because of COVID-19, but rather “the public safety problem” and rampant homelessness. She said:

“When we asked employers what’s the factor that would be most effective in bringing people back to the office, they said, ‘Reduce the presence of the homeless and mentally ill individuals, and expand police presence on the streets and subways.'”

As crime rates remain high around New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is defending his record on public safety. After nearly 6 months on the job, polls show his approval rating on crime is down and critics are wondering if he's sending mixed messages. https://t.co/OYPKsD8qwg

— Fox5NY (@fox5ny) May 20, 2022

 

She added:

“There’s no mystery here. No matter what employers do to encourage [their employees to return to the office] … if we can’t solve the public safety problem. If we can’t do that, we are going to see a long-term decline in the presence of folks who are willing to take the subway and come back to the office.”

According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), crime rates in the city have surged in recent years, with major crimes skyrocketing 34.2 percent in April alone.

During a different study the nonprofit group conducted that was released in March, 84 percent of those polled said conditions in New York City have worsened since 2020 and 40 percent say they are considering moving out.