Mayor Adams to hold meeting to devise plan to combat summer crime in NYC

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Naveen Dhaliwal has the details.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It is one of the biggest problems in New York City - the rising rate of crime on the streets, and even more on the subways.

Overall, crime in the city is up 30 percent last month, compared to a year ago. Mayor Adams is calling on top NYPD officials to meet Saturday to put a summer plan in place to combat crime.

"May and June - these are the highest months of shootings because all of the parties going on - end of school, all kinds of things. But the real issue here is gangs," said Former Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce.

Boyce is hoping the district attorneys will be a part of a plan.

"The police department is making a large number of arrests, but they have to be prosecuted properly, and right now they're not," he said.

Gun violence is set to be the hot topic. This year, several shootings have injured children, including an 11-month-old shot in the face in the Bronx and a three-year-old hit in the shoulder in Brooklyn walking out of a daycare.

"These crime plans, what their ideas are, they're specific to each neighborhood, what gangs are at odds with each other, what's going on, what high school parties are going to happen," Boyce added.

On Friday at Francis Lewis High School in Queens, students went through metal detectors after a shooting spree next to the school on Wednesday, injuring three teens.

"Subways are not safe, buses are not safe, I've been telling my daughter I'll pick up," said Phil Wong.

The commanders meeting with the mayor are being asked to bring three ideas to combat crime and how to better deploy the police to higher crime areas.

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