Times Square Alliance says city needs to refocus efforts to address crime, safety concerns

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Monday, April 19, 2021

Times Square Alliance responds to crime and safety concerns in district

80 NYPD officers will soon shift into the Midtown area to address quality of life issues.

TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A new report about increasing safety concerns in Times Square is set to be released.

Local officials are trying to calm those concerns in response.

In the last month alone, in and around the vicinity of Times Square, someone shot a tourist, police made an arrest for weapons possession, and an anti-Asian hate crime happened.

The new report in Crain's Business will highlight the district's recent trouble with crime, homelessness, and drug use.

The acting president of the Times Square Alliance says outreach efforts are addressing those problems in a part of New York that plays an essential role in the city's recovery.

"We are 15% of the city's economy," said Tom Harris, Times Square Alliance Acting President. "If Times Square does not recover, if the city doesn't focus efforts to correct some of these conditions that are in Times Square and work with us to help solve this problem then the city is not going to recover.

Eighty NYPD officers will soon shift into the Midtown area to help address quality of life issues.

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