State Senator Zellnor Myrie on Wednesday released the second plank of his mayoral campaign policy platform, which includes the hiring of thousands of police officers.
Dubbed Rebuild NYC: Public Safety and Public Square, the Brooklyn senator's plan includes adding 2,000 detectives; increasing the number of uniformed police officers to about 36,600, deploying 150 police-clinician teams into subways and above ground hot-spots; fully funding the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB); and expanding crime prevention initiatives, according to a press release.
“New York City is not nearly as safe today as it should be — full stop. Nor does it feel safe enough to the over eight million people who call it home. Ensuring public safety is the single most important responsibility of any elected official, and it will be mine as mayor," said Myrie, who has been known as a Progressive Democrat.
Myrie said his safety plan is shaped by his daily experiences in the city, including riding the subway.
“With public safety, as in so many areas, we need to get back to the basics of focused, competent government — innovating in areas that need it and demanding accountability across the board," he said. "My plan does exactly that by giving the NYPD the necessary personnel and resources to solve and deter crime, creating a more rigorous oversight system to restore the public’s trust, and expanding investments in the initiatives that are proven to prevent crime from happening."
Major initiatives include:
- Returning NYPD’s detective force to full-strength by adding 2,000 detectives to reduce gun violence and solve every shooting.
- Returning the NYPD to a 2018 headcount level of 36,600 uniformed officers and reduce excessive overtime by properly investing in recruitment efforts. (There are currently about 34,000 NYPD officers)
- Deploying uniformed officers on subways and above-ground hotspots; recruit and staff 150 police and clinician teams to be deployed 24/7 throughout the transit system to help riders in crisis.
- Implementing a system of oversight that reins in excessive overtime, eliminates abuse and protects taxpayers; including funding the CCRB at 1% of the NYPD’s overall budget.
- Adding 50,000 seats to the Summer Youth Employment Program and triple the reach of the Every Block Counts Program; fully restore funding for the Office of Hate Crimes, the NYC Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Probations Next STEPS Program.
