During an interview with New York’s 1010 WINS on Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan commented on the high number of shootings in New York City and stated that there’s “a feeling on the street that the police are handcuffed,” police “are fearful that they may be arrested if they take some proactive-type enforcement.” And that “there’s a feeling that it’s safe to carry a gun on the street.”
Monahan said, “[T]here’s a lot of different factors into it. We’ve mentioned bail reform and COVID releases, but just as importantly, if not more importantly, is the animosity towards the police that was generated after the Floyd protests. There is a feeling on the street that the police are handcuffed, that they are not out there as aggressively as we were in the past. The new law that was passed by the city council has cops hesitant. They are fearful that they may be arrested if they take some proactive-type enforcement. The disbanding of anti-Crime, obviously, has a huge effect. Those are our best cops out on the street, grabbing guns. So, there’s a feeling that it’s safe to carry a gun on the street.”
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