NYPD Commissioner Bashes City Leaders As “Cowards”

So the Commissioner of the NYPD, Dermot Shea, grew some balls yesterday. He called city leaders out as cowards, stating that “I don’t know if there’s ever been a period like this where so many systems of government are literally cowards and won’t stand up for what’s right….they’re failing at every possible measure to be leaders and throw it on the back of the police department.”

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nypd-commissioner-dermot-shea-calls-city-leaders-cowards-20200718-jqh3qagax5cjda73izzuq3t4xu-story.html

He mentioned the court system, which has been shut down for months (and might as well be with the new bail reform laws), but gave a nod to the help he’s starting to get from prosecutors. He emphasized the importance of making gun cases and focusing on “high value” targets. That is repeat offenders, who (by the way) could not reoffend if they were doing prison time.

This Isn’t Brain Surgery

The following article is from 2002:

Identify the high value targets. Work them. The recently disbanded anti-crime units would be handy for that purpose.  In that vein, Shea mentioned cops’ tools being chipped away by people who “don’t have a goddamned clue what they’re talking about.”

After conviction, warehouse them. If Cuomo and the state courts are too inept or gutless to do it, take the cases federal. That’s what we did.

I got a “big” award from John Ashcroft for developing the program, which became Project Safe Neighborhoods.   I think it’s literally sitting on our dining room table under a bunch of files and magazines, demonstrating it’s significance.

What’s important is to get the really bad guys off the street, and keep them of the street.