NYPD shares update on Neighborhood Safety Teams
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell are set to provide new details Wednesday about a revamped police program targeting high-crime neighborhoods across the city.
The mayor and police commissioner will officially roll out Neighborhood Safety Teams. As CBS2’s Elijah Westbrook reported, the program started a couple days ago, but now we’ll get a deeper dive into the training and logistics.
Getting guns off the streets of New York City has been a big campaign promise for Adams since taking office in January. A key component of that is the launch of these Neighborhood Safety Teams, which Sewell says officers are highly trained for.
“We actually had to take a look at the mistakes of the past and what we needed to chance,” Sewell said last week. “The officers have been trained in the constitution, in community interaction, car stops and use of force.”
The officers are headed to the neighborhoods with the highest number of shootings, and their task is to get the guns off the street. The teams will wear uniforms — unlike in the past, when Anti-Crime Unit officers wore plain clothes — and they will also wear body cameras.
The NYPD says 490 officers will make up the teams, which are expected to work out of 30 precincts.
The launch of the Neighborhood Safety Teams comes as the Bronx sees record high violent crimes. That’s where police say twin brothers were shot, one fatally, Tuesday night in Melrose.
The NYPD says shooting victims in the Bronx are up more than 32% from this time last year. Citywide, shooting victims have increased more than 9%.
The commissioner said she’s confident the new safety teams will make a difference in what we’re seeing.
“We’ve added a significant number of officers to that program. The initiative is focused, it’s clear and it’s purposeful,” said Sewell.
The commissioner also pointed out that although crime is up, police are making about 60% more arrests.
We expect to learn more about the Neighborhood Safety Teams at 9 a.m.
