Excerpted from Police Commissioner Kelly’s remarks yesterday to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
African-Americans, 25 percent of the city’s population, made up 64 percent of the murder victims and 71 percent of the shooting victims last year. African-American men aged 16 to 37, just 4 percent of the city’s population, comprised 40 percent of those murdered citywide; 82 percent of these young men were killed with a firearm. As a city, we can’t stand idly by in the face of these facts.
In 2003, when 96 percent of those shot and 90 percent of those murdered were concentrated in minority neighborhoods, primarily black and Hispanic, we concentrated our newest officers in those areas that had experienced spikes in crime. This program, Operation Impact, has been very successful in reducing violent crime.
We combine this strategy with a proactive policy of engagement. We use the long-established right of the police to stop and question individuals about whom we have reasonable suspicion. In some cases, in which a weapon is suspected, the officer will take the additional step of doing a limited pat-down of the person. Typically, about half of all stops involve this measure. And only 9 percent involve a more thorough search.
Last year, stops by police resulted in the seizure of more than 7,000 illegal weapons, mostly knives, as well as nearly 800 guns. Stops are authorized by New York state criminal-procedure law. Every state in the country has a variant of this statute, as does federal law. It is fundamental to policing.
The number of stops we conduct — 530,000 last year — has also been a point of criticism. But with roughly 19,600 officers on patrol, this equates to less than one stop per officer per week.
We realize the sensitivity involved in every stop, which is why we place a great emphasis on it in officer training. We must preserve the trust and support of the communities we serve and conduct stops with courtesy and professionalism. I’m encouraged that complaints related to stops are down by 58 percent this year. That’s a good sign, but we can always do better.
We’re working very hard to strengthen police-community relations, in part by having a police department that reflects the city itself. In 2006, for the first time in our history, the rank of police officer became majority-minority, with more black, Hispanic and Asian officers than white.
And there are more African-Americans serving in our uniformed executive corps than ever before. They include new Chief of Department Philip Banks III, the only four-star chief and the highest ranking uniformed member of the department.
Renowned music producer Michael “Blue” Williams is the inspiration behind “Guns for Greatness,” a new plan to join gun buybacks with a youth-mentoring program. Now, as well as receiving up to $200 for any operable firearm they turn in, participants get a card with a number that allows them or someone they know to receive introductory life-mentoring sessions. Those who consistently attend the sessions will get concert and sports tickets courtesy of Williams.
Another initiative is Operation Crew Cut. Thirty percent of shootings in New York City can be traced to “crews” — loosely affiliated gangs, mainly of young teens, who are responsible for much of the violence in and around public housing and elsewhere. Their loyalty is to their friends living in a relatively small area and their rivalries are based on local turf. Generations ago, this kind of tit-for-tat brutality among teens was settled by fist fights. Now, more often than not, it’s with guns.
Social media often adds fuel to the fire. For example, gang members have posted photographs of themselves in front of a rival’s apartment building and surveillance pictures of those who they threaten to kill next.
In addition to expanding the size of our Gang Division and providing extra resources in precincts most affected by crews, a team of investigators is dedicated to monitoring social media. Their goal is to foresee an act of retaliation coming, and to stop it.
As part of Operation Crew Cut, we work hard to distinguish the leaders and core instigators within a crew from the “wannabes.” We arrest those connected to criminal activity and reach out to those who may be headed down the wrong path.
Thanks largely to Operation Crew Cut, homicides are down another 30 percent this year; shootings are down 25 percent and shooting victims are down 26 percent.
If you compare Mayor Bloomberg’s first 11 years in office with the 11 years before that, you’ll find that there were 7,364 fewer murders. That’s 7,364 lives saved — and, if history is a guide, they are largely lives of young men of color.
When it comes to protecting our communities and our young people, we can never give up the fight.