Mayor, NYPD Commissioner to Announce New Initiative to Address Slashings
(DNAINFO) Ben Fractenberg | March 21, 2016 — Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton are expected to discuss the specifics of the plan Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday he and Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce a new plan to address this year’s 20 percent uptick in slashings and stabbings.
Bratton talked about the plan at a City Hall budget hearing after City Council members questioned him over the recent spike in slashings, as well as violence at city homeless shelters.
“Stabbings, slashings, cuttings, we are doing a lot more analysis, as we did with the shootings [in the early 90s],” Bratton said after giving his testimony. “We will be in a position, I think, to over time begin to have a much more positive impact on that issue.”
Bratton said slashings were up 153 incidents so far this year compared to the same period in 2015, and the NYPD has already deployed more officers within the subway system to try to address the problem and will work to identify trends causing the increase.