In the wake of the execution-style killing of two patrol officers, New York police officers are fearful for their safety and wary of writing up minor offenses, according to the
New York Post.
The tension for officers on the street comes as the city’s police force faces a manpower crisis, the result a union-issued edict directing two patrol cars to respond to all police calls.
A NYPD supervisor told the Post, "My guys are writing almost no summonses, and probably only making arrests when they have to, like when a store catches a shoplifter."
Referring to the shooting of two officers while they sat in their cruiser, as well as a recent ax attack on a group of patrolmen, one officer said, "I’m not writing any summonses. Do you think I’m going to stand there so someone can shoot me or hit me in the head with an ax?"
He added, "I’m concerned about my safety. I want to go to home to my wife and kids."
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, meanwhile, has directed its members to respond to all calls with at least two patrol cars.
According to the newspaper, the mandate led to a shortage of officers that is causing delays of as much as four hours in response times to non-emergencies, including burglaries or car crashes without injuries.
The latest problems plaguing the NYPD surfaced as New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said that it would be a long "painful process" to heal the rifts between the police and the community, as well as between the police and Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We will make it here, but it's going to be difficult. It's going to require a lot of hard work, a lot less rhetoric and a lot more dialogue," Bratton said Sunday on
NBC's "Meet the Press."
The racial unrest began after a New York grand jury cleared NYPD officers of any blame in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, which came on the heels of a Missouri grand jury clearing an officer there in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.
De Blasio then enraged the police force by making comments that appeared to support the protesters and incite anti-police sentiment.
NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot dead on Dec. 20 by a man who vowed on social media to exact revenge on police for Garner’s death.
Former New York City Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani said on "Face the Nation" that de Blasio needs to apologize to mend fences with police officers, who turned their backs on the mayor for a second time at the weekend funeral of one of the slain cops.
"I don't support that," said Giuliani about the NYPD show of contempt for the mayor. "But I do believe Mayor de Blasio should apologize to the New York City department. I said it day one, and I think he'd get this over with if he did it."
"Mayor de Blasio, please say you're sorry to them for having created a false impression of them. Say you're sorry."
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