April 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia
Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a new plan Tuesday that will add more cops in high crime areas as a means to combat gun violence.
The announcement comes at a time when the number of shootings continues to spike across the city and New Yorkers have been calling for the mayor to clamp down on it. For the month of March 2021, there were 492 gun arrests citywide, a 66.8 percent increase compared to March 2020, according to the NYPD.
The plan, dubbed Safe Summer NYC, involves shifting about 200 officers from administrative assignments to patrols in high crime areas. In addition the program aims to strengthening rapid tracing efforts for guns used in crimes; raise awareness for the city’s gun buyback campaign; and re-launch a program—called Ceasefire– that aims to deescalate gang tensions through “credible messengers.”
