Metro

Sergeants union: DNC should stay away from ‘dangerous’ NYC

The head of the NYPD’s sergeants union on Tuesday urged Democrats to choose anywhere but New York City as the site of their 2016 convention, citing surging crime and a lack of support for cops by Mayor de Blasio.

Full-page newspaper ads in The Post and elsewhere said the Sergeants Benevolent Association “cannot now in good conscience” join de Blasio in lobbying the Democratic National Committee to hold its political powwow at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The open letter signed by SBA President Ed Mullins said that “while the Barclays Center is still new and glistening, the great city in which it stands is lurching back to the bad old days of high crime.”

Citing official statistics and news reported exclusively by The Post, Mullins noted that shootings are up, “squeegee people are reappearing on the streets, and aggressive panhandlers and con men are populating the subways and Times Square.

“The DNC should chose another venue,” Mullins said.

“Mayor de Blasio has not earned the right to play host to such an important event.”

Mullins blasted “dangerous choices” by de Blasio that have left the NYPD “understaffed, overworked and underpaid,” adding that “diminished support for police officers translates directly into crime spikes and drops in quality of life.”

In clear shot at the Rev. Al Sharpton — who led an anti-cop rally on Staten Island this past Saturday — Mullins also accused de Blasio of throwing city cops “under the bus” to pander to “the loudest of the city’s anti-safety agitators.”

“Morale among police officers is low, and there are few signs that it will get better any time soon,” Mullins wrote.

“Our Mayor cannot be a leader in the fight against crime without supporting his police force.”

Other cities vying for the Democratic convention are Philadelphia, Phoenix, Columbus, Ohio, and Birmingham, Ala.

De Blasio lashed out at the SBA over the ad, which he called “irresponsible” and “not the right way to do things.”

“Don’t stoke fear — let’s talk about what we can do together,” de Blasio said during an afternoon appearance at the Cobble Hill School of American Studies in Brooklyn.

De Blasio also said the ad was “so obviously opportunistic that no one will give it much regard.”

“It’s clearly an effort to advance their effort in terms of the contract negotiations,” de Blasio said.

“It’s fear-mongering to try to benefit their own position in labor talks.”

A spokesman for City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito also issued a statement saying she “obviously disagrees with this distinctly negative view of New York and believes that the city would be the best location to host the Democratic National Committee.”

City Hall also released figures showing that overall crime is down 3.6 percent so far this year, and that the city is on pace to record fewer than 300 annual murders, which would set a new historic low.

A DNC spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment, nor did a Sharpton spokeswoman.