New York City – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policing strategy on Monday aimed at bolstering “gang takedowns” in neighborhoods ravaged by gun violence. Calling it “precision policing,” the mayor said the work will involve intensive police work to address the very criminals doing the violence and removing them from the streets.
“We are going to need more gang takedowns, more gun arrests, more cooperation with community,” de Blasio said Monday. “Gangs are the problem and this is where the focus is going to be. Also using community based leaders, community-based activists to change the reality on the ground.”
Citing the 115th precinct in Queens where 10 people were shot Saturday, the mayor claimed gang related incidents on the surge in violence.
“We know that there has been a lot of pain in the 115th precinct,” the mayor said. “We’re going to have mobile trauma units out there with translators to address concerns, feelings and trauma people have been through.”
If the new policing plan sounds familiar it is because it is. Prior to the Black Lives Movement, cities across the country targeted violent criminals with great success to the overall community. That form of policing was scrapped in the aftermath of the George Floyd death because the suspects and thus the police contacts were disproportionately black.
