After making the decision to disband its plainclothes “anti-crime” unit, New York City has seen a 205% increase in shootings in comparison to the same time period last year.
According to the New York Post, 116 shootings took place in the city since the officers were reassigned on June 15 to July 2, a 205% increase from the same period in 2019 when there were 38 shootings.
New York City saw 205 shootings last month, making it the city’s “bloodiest June in 24 years.”
“I feel like we are giving the streets back to the criminals,” said the mother of one shooting victim, whose son was shot just days after the unit was disbanded. “Whatever the problem they have, address it. But don’t disband the unit. Many lives would have been saved. Not just my son.”
The use of plainclothes officers has come into question in recent weeks. After the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody in late May, the nation has been looking for answers on possible police reform measures.
“I think it’s time to move forward and change how we police in this city,” said New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
The “anti-crime” unit came out of New York’s Street Crimes Unit, which was founded in 1971 and disbanded in 2002 after the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo. A federal investigation also found the Street Crimes Unit was profiling non-white people.
