NYPD SLOW: TIMES SQUARE HAD 1 MILLION REVELERS, ZERO TICKETS

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BY COLLEEN LONG AND JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) -- Of all the statistics from the recent New Year's Eve in Times Square - 1 million revelers, 2,000 pounds of confetti, thousands of police officers, dozens of surveillance cameras - there is one number that stands out: zero, as in zero tickets for low-level crimes.

No tickets for having an open container of alcohol, no tickets for public urination, no tickets for double parking, no tickets for furry, costumed characters hassling tourists to take their picture. Add in low-level arrests, and there was just one, for a subway-related offense.

And that wasn't just on New Year's Eve. That was for the entire week containing the holiday. During the Christmas week, when the neon-lit streets were every bit as jammed, the total for such infractions was 23 - compared to more than 650 summonses per week the previous year, according to police statistics.

Times Square is perhaps the most jarring example of a slowdown in low-level enforcement across New York City amid tension between rank-and-file police and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whom they accuse of encouraging violence against cops by siding with protesters after the chokehold death of Eric Garner. They were particularly incensed by comments in which the mayor warned his biracial son to be wary in dealing with officers.

FULL story at link.



FILE. In this Jan. 8, 2015 file photo, a policeman looks out the window of his patrol car in Times Square in New York. In bustling Times Square, where scores of tourists wander through streets clogged with traffic and hawkers selling trinkets, low-level enforcement activity has all but grinded to a halt. The slowdown is happening city wide, but it’s unclear whether it’s a blip or the new status quo and what it means for the broken windows style of policing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NYPD_SLOWDOWN_CITY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-10-11-56-37

[n2doc]

1. Seems like win-win

Less police bullying, less crime, happier people all around. Keep it up and eventually they can trim the size of the NYPD and keep the change.

[ybbor]

2. So is this a bad thing?

Are we seeing that we don't need as many LEOs?

[yeoman6987]

34. As long as the Mayor keeps the budget in the black,

He will be considered the best Mayor in New York ever. He needs to keep that budget in check though. Money has to come from somewhere and even if they do have layoffs and firings, I doubt it will be this fiscal year.

[notadmblnd]

3. I'd say it's time for some layoffs

[cstanleytech]

29. I would agree as apparently if the people arent breaking the law then why have

so many police officers at all? Maybe reduce the force to 1/3 its current size then?

[notadmblnd]

33. 10% cut quarterly as long as crime does not increase

Just like they do in corporate America.

[Chakab]

4. Yeah, I'm confused about what they're trying to accomplish here.

If they keep this up and there's no increase in crime, then they'll be exposing stats based policing for the fraud that it is and permanently weakening their position.

It's like Lynch and the rest of PBA leaders are deliberately trying to sabotage the image of the NYPD.

[Fred Sanders]

5. Power. Power is at the core of this. Soon enough police will get power withdrawal and start up again

[procon]

6. They're trying to reduce NYCs revenue stream

I don't know how much money is generated from the fees and fines generated by those tickets, but I suspect it's a significant amount. Losing revenue means that the city will have to make cuts in other services to adjust for the loss, but of course those cuts won't come out of the NYCPDs pocket.

Here's the thing, if a city employee deliberately breaks something that costs the city money, pads his overtime sheet, fakes a disability claim, or lies about actually being on the job, he'd be fired. There's no difference here; they are not doing their job and it's the same taxpayer who pays their wages that will get hit again with the loss of city services due to their childish behavior.

Fire 'em, I says, clean out the deadwood and hire new people who need a job.

[goldent]

7. I don't think the revenue is that significant

I think a lot of the stepped up enforcement in Manhattan seemed to be to make it more pleasant for visitors (e.g. not being asked for money to "watch" your car).

[procon]

8. NYPD ‘slowdown’ costing the city $10M a week in revenue

I should have checked first:


http://nypost.com/2015/01/09/nypd-slowdown-costing-the-city-10m-a-week-in-revenue/

[markpkessinger]

16. NYC's annual budget is $70 billion per year . . .

. . . that's 'billion' with a 'b.' Even if this slowdown continued all year long, at $10 million per week, or $520 million per year, it is still only a little over 7/10ths of one percent of the city's annual budget.

[adirondacker]

17. Wall Street body guards don't come cheap.

That's the first time I saw that budget figure.

[markpkessinger]

23. You might find this informative

From Gothamist.com, "Interactive Chart: How NYC's $70 Billion Budget Breaks Down".

http://gothamist.com/2013/04/11/interactive_chart_nycs_budget_break.php

[NYC Liberal]

24. The Department of Education has the largest share of the budget, by far.

Social Services is 2nd or 3rd. NYPD is near the bottom.

[adirondacker]

27. I certainly hope NY doesn't need one cop for every 50 people. $92,000 is pretty good for high school

level educations.

Salary

Statistically, after the first five years a New York City police officer's works out to be above average compared with officers elsewhere. According to the New York City Police Department, after an officer has worked five and a half years in the profession, she will earn a total yearly income of $90,829, much more than the Bureau of Statistics' national average of $52,810 annually.

Of course, it's important to take into account that an NYC officer's starting salary in his first year is only $46,288. Wages increase incrementally as officer approach her five-year mark and then begin to slow after that.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. And I wonder what the actual collected amount is along with the collection costs...

.... in terms of man hours, court costs and human misery and lost productivity of the citizenry.

I wonder if that $10 million figure is the face value of the fines.

[nichomachus]

18. More than "significant"

The orders for enforcement quotas come from politicians who want more money.

[jakeXT]

13. They could stop rebating the stock transfer tax

For the last century, New York State has had a stock-transfer tax, which taxes nearly every stock trade. Since 1981, it’s been instantly rebated—no money is actually collected—leaving potential revenue on the table even as financial profits skyrocket. Cuomo suggests ending the tax, citing “unnecessary administrative work.” But New York’s stock-transfer tax can be easily re-implemented, instead putting that administrative work to good use.

http://www.thenation.com/article/188505/why-cuomo-leaving-wall-street-cash-table#

[branford]

28. How would you propose NYS end the stock transfer tax rebate?

Our Democratic governor actually wants to end the tax entirely in order to eliminate the administrative work for the rebate, and the Republican controlled State Senate would never even consider a true transfer tax.

The tax can "easily" be re-implemented only in the imaginations of authors of the article.

[SummerSnow]

9. They're having a meltdown cause they just go around killing black people anymore at will.

" If I can't kill anymore black people then I'm going to hold my breath"

[OnePercentDem]

11. Thats a foolish thing to say

I guess in your eyes all cops are bad.

[SummerSnow]

12. rofl

[nichomachus]

19. No, but enough are

And the others support them.

[SummerSnow]

10. The Commissioner should tell them were not paying you to stand around ...

then hand out pink slips. Or the citizens should sue them for not "protecting and serving".

[christx30]

14. Would you rather cops going around

shaking people down in fines for petty BS all the time?
Maybe you'd like more cops to go after people like Eric Garner? Let's get those revenues up, and kill anyone that says "boo". Lets get as much cash out of the hands of the people, and more money for the city. Maybe we can go after a few grannies that put some household trash into city cans. Get that old woman a $100 ticket. She should know better.
http://nypost.com/2010/12/08/grannys-100-ticket-for-throwing-out-newspaper/

Personally, I'd like more cities to take a hands off approach. Handle violent crimes, robberies.. you know, crimes where people are actually harmed. But don't harrass people and arrest people for the petty stuff.

I read this story as people were able to celebrate NYE without being bothered by the cops. Sounds like a better way to live.

[SummerSnow]

15. TheThey are hired to protect and serve.

Ignoring crimes committed is unprofessional. Resulting in victims.If they hate their job so much they should quit and not stand around letting citizens become victims cause they're mad with DeBlasio

[nichomachus]

20. They are hired to protect and serve the One Percent

They don't give a sweet shit about you or me.

[christx30]

22. They are still protecting people.

They are still investigating and forcing laws against violent crime. But they're not doing his enforcing stupid harassing laws like the kind of laws Eric Garner killed.
So if you're in favor of that kind of crap, that I can't help you. Especially while I hate cops, I like the fact that they're not doing their jobs. I like the fact that they just handling the violent crime, not going out the old ladies for throwing newspapers in the trashcan.
People like you are the reason that assholes like Bloomberg are able to get away with things like bans on 32 ounce soda, and proposing bands on salt in restaurants.
Unprofessional or not the cops not shaking people down for loose change is good for the people of New York.

[NewDeal_Dem]

25. "grinded to a halt" ?

[villager]

26. Sounds like New Yorkers are getting increasingly safe. From petty harassment.

n/t

[DeSwiss]

30. Jarring example of a slow-down, huh?

- Looks damn right placid there to me like it usually does.....

Times Square: 47th and Broad

Times Square: Crossroads

[marble falls]

31. This demonstrates that protect and serve is a revenue raising scheme to some big degree.

[elehhhhna]

32. funny. i dont hear nyers screaming for protection. hmmm.

Furlough those gasbags

[former9thward]

35. DUers demand layoffs

when its contractually impossible and politically impossible. Get back to the real world. The people most concerned about the slow down are the people in the city revenue department.

[NeoConsSuck]

36. contractually impossible to have layoffs?

Are you sure about this?? I'm a government employee also, I have never heard of a 'no layoff' clause in a public union contract.

[former9thward]

37. I don't have the contract language in front of me.

Google was unsuccessful. But when have you heard of police layoffs in a major city with a union contract? The last time NYC had any police layoffs was under Beame in the 1970s. De Blasio certainly has not mentioned or threatened them.

[Sunlei]

39. They could always do like the Post Office, no more new hires when one retires or quits.

[cstanleytech]

40. Just because they havent done one in awhile doesnt mean they cannot do it now

unless the contract specifically says they cant but even if it does they can do other things like if they are paid hourly they could reduce their hours.
Again there are all sorts of options open to the mayor but I dont think he will resort to them unless the police continue on this course.

[former9thward]

41. It will not happen politically in New York City.

The police know it and the Mayor knows it.

[Sunlei]

38. No more police ticket QUOTAS makes for a happier citizen and a safer world for everyone.