The NYPD announced on Monday that they will be disbanding the plainclothes anti-crime unit after tensions toward the unit boiled over throughout the recent string of protests. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said that some 600 officers will be transitioned to other departments with the move.
"This is a seismic shift in the culture of how the NYPD polices this great city," said Shea. "I would consider this in the realm of closing one of the last chapters of 'Stop, Question and Frisk'...I think it's time to more forward and change how we police in this city. We can do it with brains. We can do it with guile. We can move away from brute force."
According to Civil rights attorney Joel Berger, the move is long overdue. "The anti crime units are just a legacy of street crime from the days of Giuliani, with the motto, 'We own the night,' just under a different name," Berger said. "I never thought of it as real crime prevention. It was designed as social control in minority neighborhoods to show them who is the boss, just like stop and frisk. You should not be particularly surprised that despite the elimination of stop and frisk, people in minority neighborhoods still distrust the police. My only question is why did it take so long."
This decision comes on the heels of the New York City Council, with the backing of council leadership, proposed a plan to defund the NYPD by $1 billion.
Source: abc7ny.com
