The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, which represents over 50,000 active and retired New York City police officers, is not amused by Governor Cuomo’s social-distancing citation orders. PBA President Patrick J. Lynch had strong words for the ruling authorities of New York.
This situation is untenable: the NYPD needs to get cops out of the social distancing enforcement business altogether. the cowards who run this city have given us nothing but vague guidelines and mixed messages, leaving the cops on the street corners to fend for ourselves. Nobody has a right to interfere with police action. But now that the inevitable backlash has arrived, they are once again throwing us under the bus. Meanwhile, those same politicians are still watering down our laws, releasing real criminals and discouraging proactive enforcement of fare evasion and quality of life issues. As a result, our subways are in chaos and we have hero nurses getting mugged on their way to our hospitals. As the weather heats up and the pandemic continues to unravel our social fabric police officers should be allowed to focus on our core public safety mission. If we don’t, the city will fall apart before our eyes.
.@NYCPBA calls for end of @NYPDnews policing of social distancing: "As the weather heats up & the pandemic continues to unravel our social fabric, police officers should be allowed to focus on our core public safety mission. If we don’t, the city will fall apart before our eyes.” pic.twitter.com/YPYZUh4TG2
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) May 4, 2020
On Saturday, the governor demanded that police issue $1000 citations for people not following vague social distancing policies ordered by his office. Fifty-one tickets were given out in New York City over the weekend. The largest police union in New York is worried about real crime that is on the rise. They tweeted, “This pandemic has already devastated small businesses, and now commercial burglaries are up 169%.”
This pandemic has already devastated small businesses, and now commercial burglaries are up 169%. If we want NYC to recover, @NYPDNews needs to let cops focus on real public safety priorities. https://t.co/4uS0bDO86Z
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) May 5, 2020
The release of criminals from Rikers Island has been a disaster with many being rearrested for major crimes.
“50 of first 1500 who were released were already rearrested & some of them released again”
“Earlier a convicted murderer was freed & quickly rearrested for bank robbery”
“De Blasio is letting folks out for ideological reasons & public safety be damned”https://t.co/o6cZ8NhpCf
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) May 3, 2020
New York police have a lot of problems, and people standing too close together in the park is the least of them.
Megan Fox is the author of “Believe Evidence; The Death of Due Process from Salome to #MeToo,” and host of The Fringe podcast. Follow on Twitter @MeganFoxWriter
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