New New York mayor promises to make city “gun-free” and brings back controversial police team | Abroad

Adams, himself a former police chief, officially took office on January 1, and in his first weeks had to deal with several tragic (firearms) incidents. For example, two police officers were shot last week when they were called to a domestic violence incident. One of them died. In the weeks before, a teenager working a night shift at a Burger King branch was murdered, a baby shot in the head and a woman pushed into a subway station off the platform in front of an oncoming subway.

There have already been 73 firearms incidents in New York this year, 24 percent more than in the same period last year. One of Adams’ campaign promises was to tackle gun violence in the city. “Gun violence is a public health crisis that continues to threaten every corner of the city,” the former police officer and new mayor said in his speech. “Public safety is my administration’s number one priority, which is why we will get guns off the streets, protect our people, and create a safe, prosperous and just city for all New Yorkers.”

The police special unit that Adams wants to reinstate has been accused of profiling based on skin color and excessive police brutality in the past. For example, agents of the unit were responsible for the deaths of black New Yorkers Amadou Diallo (in 1999) and Eric Garner (in 2014). In the past, the unit wore civilian clothes and could not be recognized as a police force.

In the new unit, which Adams plans to deploy in three weeks’ time, officers will not wear a police uniform or drive around in police cars, but will be easily identifiable. They also have to wear body cameras and agents are selected for “emotional intelligence”. They will also receive extra training, the mayor promised. For the time being, 400 agents would be screened for suitability.

New York’s police force is the largest in the US, with 35,000 uniformed officers and a $5 billion budget.