Mayor de Blasio calls on NYPD to lower crime without increasing 'Stop and Frisk'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Stop and Frisk" is once again front and center.

One NYPD police union saying the best way to fight the recent surge in shootings and murders is to increase "Stop and Frisk".

Crime overall may be down in New York, but murders are most certainly not and are up nearly 20% so far this year.

Shootings are also up.

The debate's flaring on how to prevent gun violence.

Mayor Bill de Blasio disagrees with the police union and is insisting the NYPD can fight crime without more "Stop and frisks".

"New York City continues to be an extraordinarily safe city, the safest big city in America, that is clear," Mayor de Blasio said.

The mayor late Tuesday said New Yorkers have no reason to worry about crime.

But video from Sunday in Bedford-Stuyvesant tells another story, although overall crime is down 6.5%, but violent crime is way up.

Last year by the end of May there were 113 murders.

This year there have been 135, an almost 20% jump.

Also, there were 467 shooting victims last year.

This year there have been 510, a 9% increase.

"The perps on the street are getting bolder because they're not enough of us and they're not being stopped so I'm not surprised that the shootings are rising," said Pat Lynch, PBA President.

Tuesday Lynch blasted the mayor, saying the city needs to hire more cops and let them do their jobs.

He faults the reform of "Stop and Frisk" and new rules on cops as key components for the uptick in crime.

"Now without enough cops, the negative police atmosphere, where every interaction turns into a confrontation, confrontation turns into violence for everyone, and that's what's happening," Lynch said.

"I am very disturbed by the uptick," said Rev. Al Sharpton, of the National Action Network.

Al Sharpton Tuesday said it's absurd to blame police reform as the culprit for climbing crime figures.

"And I think to say the only way we can govern in a civilized society is to rob people of their civil liberties and lock everybody up is absolutely crazy!" Sharpton said.

But for the mayor, the new figures are troubling. He campaigned on a promise to change police. His opponents warned high crime would return on de Blasio's watch.

But Tuesday, the mayor sought to portray a sense of calm, that police fixed climbing crime last summer and will do so again now.

"I have a lot of faith in the men and women of the NYPD. I know they will turn the tide this time just like they did last year," Mayor de Blasio said.