The New York Police Department's announced that they will officially be getting rid of the anti-crime unit earlier today. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea revealed that they'll be making a "seismic" shift in the NYPD's police culture with the disbandment of the plainclothes officers unit.
“I would consider this in the realm of closing on one of the last chapters on stop, question and frisk,” Shea said, though he praised the officers for getting firearms off of the street. This means that 600 cops will be reassigned to other duties such as neighborhood police.
Though the news of the anti-crime unit disbandment comes in the midst of protests across the country, the department said there still will be officers in plainclothes who will still be on patrol. They didn't reveal how many plainclothes officers would be deployed, though.
"This is a policy shift coming from me, personally, and the men and women in the police department we’re doing what I asked… they have done an exceptional job, but again I think it’s time to move forward and change how we police in this city,” Shea said. "When you look at the number of anti-crime officers that operate within New York City, and you look at a disproportionate, quite frankly, percentage of complaints and shootings — and they are doing exactly what was asked of them."
The moves come nearly six months after plainclothes officers murdered Eric Garner. Daniel Pantaleo was deployed as part of the anti-crime unit in Staten Island.
"It will be felt immediately throughout the five district attorney’s offices, it will be felt immediately in the communities that we protect," Shea continued. "It will be felt immediately throughout the five district attorney’s offices, it will be felt immediately in the communities that we protect."
