NYPD will beef up late-night patrol as temperatures heat up
More cops will work evening shifts as part of an NYPD plan to combat summertime gun violence in the city, police brass said Friday.
Starting Sunday, night owls can expect to see more than 350 extra officers patrolling city streets, beaches and roadways between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., said Chief of Department Kenneth Corey.
In the summer of 2020 and 2021, city data shows, 42% of shootings between May 1 and Labor Day occurred between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
“We’re going to have a lot of coverage out there that we don’t normally have” during those hours, Corey said.
Additionally, NYPD inspectors dubbed “violence reduction coordinators” will be deployed in all five boroughs. The Bronx will be assigned two inspectors, and the other boroughs will get one each.
As the city sees more drive-by shootings and shooting suspects taking off in cars carrying fake paper license plates, each precinct will dedicate one patrol car to the traffic beat between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 2:05 a.m., police said.
In addition, drivers can expect to hit more NYPD and state police vehicle checkpoints.
Special attention will be paid to 311 calls concerning house parties, block parties and barbecues — gatherings at which gunfire is often reported.
Corey said the department aims to get ahead of gatherings it fears might become violent, so “the shooting that may follow never does in fact follow because things have been tamped down.”
Also this summer, about 200 officers will be moved from desk duty to patrols of Coney Island, Orchard Beach and Rockaway Beach, Corey said.
The city has seen a 2.2% rise in shootings this year, with 376 incidents in 2022 through Sunday compared to 368 during the same period of 2021.
Police officials said many gun incidents involve people who are out on bail, or believe that thanks to New York’s bail reforms they won’t be locked up if they are arrested.
“A lot of it is, people are very comfortable carrying guns,” Corey said. “And the reason, quite frankly, that they’re comfortable carrying guns is they know that they’re not going to jail. Years ago, they didn’t carry a gun because they didn’t want to be arrested. They don’t care if they get arrested.”
