There’s more quantity in the city’s “quality of life” enforcement.
The NYPD handed out about 297,000 criminal summonses to people who urinate in the streets, aggressive panhandlers, drunks, rowdy nightclub patrons and other miscreants during the first half of 2009 — a nearly 5 percent jump over the 283,000 doled out during the same period last year.
The six-month uptick is a marked turnabout since The Post reported in January that New York’s Finest made 7.1 percent fewer petty busts in 2008 than in 2007.
The falloff left some New Yorkers feeling less safe and fearful that a shrinking, post-9/11 NYPD was losing focus on low-level criminals after banner years of fighting crime of every variety.
At this pace, cops will likely hand out 50,000 more misdemeanor summonses to unruly New Yorkers than they issued last year.
Several NYPD insiders said the Post’s disclosure was a wakeup call for City Hall and 1 Police Plaza to stay focused on petty crime, which, if not dealt with, leads to more serious offenses — a concept widely known as the “broken windows” theory.
“It is fair to say there was a push . . . and [The Post’s] articles did it,” one well-placed police official said.
Another ranking officer said, “They wanted guys to step up and refocus on quality-of-life issues, and don’t take your eye off it. We are back to where we were.”
Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD’s spokesman, insisted the department never wavered against quality-of-life issues.
“This year, there is just a small incremental change [upwards],” said Browne, pointing out that last year’s 7.1 percent decline was measured against a record-breaking year.
Police statistics show increases in the number of criminal summonses in seven of the NYPD’s eight “police boroughs,” with Brooklyn South showing the biggest spike, 17.3 percent.
Only Manhattan North — above 59th Street — showed a slight decline, 2.4 percent, through last Sunday, with 44,835 summonses, compared to 45,944 for the same period last year.
Several precincts had dramatic increases as commanders targeted problem spots, while others recorded modest declines, which often occurs after a troublesome situation is eradicated.
In Manhattan, cops in Chinatown’s Fifth Precinct doubled their activity from 2,344 summonses last year to 4,708.