REMARKS
Lincoln Restler on NYPD's Increased Issuance of Minor Summons and Its Implications
0:42:43
·
12 min
Lincoln Restler, Council Member, NYC City Council, discusses the significant increase in NYPD's issuance of minor summons under Mayor Adams' tenure and its impact on low-income black and brown communities.
- Restler cites a nearly 70% increase year over year in minor summons, such as for having an open container, under Mayor Adams' tenure.
- He emphasizes the disproportionate impact of these policies on low-income, black, and brown communities.
- Restler criticizes the effectiveness and justice of precision policing, relating it to increased minor summons issuance.
- The discussion includes concerns about NYPD budget increases for overtime while other city services face cuts.
- Dan Steinberg from the Mayor's Office of Operations addresses some of Restler's inquiries, focusing on policy decisions and NYPD's budgeting implications.
Lincoln Restler
0:42:43
So I would like to shift to what I think is driving the increase in spots times, which is that we've seen, you know, a phenomenal increase in minor summons are being issued by the NYPD.
0:42:57
I'll just quote the mayor who often talks about precision policing.
0:43:02
And this is, you know, this is what precision policing is about.
0:43:05
The failures of the past is we stopped anyone, searched anyone based on their ethnicity, and based on the demographics or the ZIP code, where they may have lived.
0:43:13
We're not doing that.
0:43:14
We're go we're not going to allow that to happen in our city.
0:43:18
We're not going to break the law to enforce the law.
0:43:20
We can have the balance that we are looking for by using precision policing, which I completely agree with the sentiment and think that the data tells truly a 180 degree different picture.
0:43:33
That is the opposite of what has happened under mayor Adam's tenure.
0:43:39
NYPD has had nearly a 70% increase year over year in imposing minor summons for things like having an open container on the street.
0:43:48
We're on track for almost a 4 fold increase since the mayor came into office in 2021 if the trends from the 1st 4 months of the year continue through the whole fiscal year.
0:43:57
So we've already, in fact, in the 1st 4 months of this year, imposed more minor summons than we did in all of fiscal year 2021 the year before Mayor Adams came into office.
0:44:10
Just and we've looked at data with partners that show overwhelmingly, these are low income black and brown folks.
0:44:19
Disproportionately, overwhelmingly low income black and brown folks.
0:44:22
The truly, we're talking about the opposite of precision policing.
0:44:28
So could you explain So This takes up an enormous amount of staff time.
0:44:35
Is that considered as a causal factor?
0:44:38
In why we are doing a worst job of responding to crimes and progress, especially serious crimes and progress when NYPD officers are spending so much of their time on minor violations, quality of life issues like an open container law.
Dan Steinberg
0:44:53
I think it's a good and fair question to to ask the police department.
0:44:59
The the you know, we see the same numbers that you're citing.
0:45:03
They have not been the central focus of our reform efforts because we're the data we're looking at is suggesting that there's a a number of other factors also, but we're glad that you're connecting dots in the data and encourage you to to bring those questions to the appropriate party.
Lincoln Restler
0:45:24
Have you consulted with well, to me, one of the things that that Ops often does is track whether an indicator is good or bad.
0:45:35
And there's clearly been a policy decision made by this administration to phenomenally increase the number of summons that are issued, number of people who are being arrested, increasing incarceration, that has been it's happening across the board in such clear trends and clear numbers.
0:45:51
A policy decision has been made.
0:45:53
For this in particular, on minor summons.
0:45:55
Is that a good thing?
0:45:56
Does ops have a perspective?
0:45:58
Is that a good policy that this administration is making?
0:46:01
Or are you just calling Boston strikes?
Dan Steinberg
0:46:03
I don't think we can provide a sweeping analysis of it.
0:46:07
I think, you know, in some areas, we've seen some instances correspond with improvements in reclaiming this, for instance, when it comes to the sanitation department's, you know, enforcement of of of properties and recycling streams.
0:46:22
But as a sweeping kind of statement, I'm not sure.
0:46:26
Or qualified to weigh in.
Lincoln Restler
0:46:27
Okay.
0:46:28
And just to kind of ask in a broader way on what I think is causing these serious and deeply concerning delays in response times to to crimes and progress and to to the most serious dangerous crimes.
0:46:43
Beyond the travel times, are you looking at what other policy decisions may be driving the performance indicators that very much feels to be the role and responsibility of ops.
0:46:52
Do you have anything to add beyond your suggestion that travel times may be a factor?
Dan Steinberg
0:46:58
I would say we're going to where the data points us, but you're making plenty of legitimate points about, you know, what competes for the time and resources of of responders and and and we're happy to bring them back to the committee.
0:47:14
Okay.
Lincoln Restler
0:47:17
And have these major shifts in the data been flagged for deputy mayor Banks and his team?
Dan Steinberg
0:47:26
Yes.
0:47:26
Repeatedly.
0:47:27
And they're well aware, and they have their own tools that we've built for them to to monitor closely.
Lincoln Restler
0:47:34
We're looking, you know, as you know well, Mayor Adams has imposed 7 rounds of budget cuts since coming into office just over 2 years ago.
0:47:44
Mhmm.
0:47:45
We've taken 15% or 16% out of the grading budget that we fund at community colleges, significant cuts to 3 k, library service, And yet, NYPD overtime is up $76,000,000 year over year, and we are on pace to spend about a $1,000,000,000 on NYPD over time if the trends continue from the PMMR.
0:48:08
This operations examine the link between spending such as the bloated overtime NYPD budget and performance metric changes.
0:48:17
Are you able to to make an argument that this is necessary or valuable spending or not?
Dan Steinberg
0:48:24
Generally speaking, it's it's part of our mission to consider the relationship between resources and performance.
0:48:30
So to the extent that we're in dialogue with agencies around what's an appropriate target those are really important inputs.
0:48:40
I'm not sure if we can answer it as a policy question exactly.
0:48:43
Unless you received the question with that.
Lincoln Restler
0:48:45
No.
0:48:45
I think you've you've answered you you responded.
0:48:48
I I look.
0:48:48
I think that the I just wanna ask because this mean, Can I actually get clarification, who's in charge of the municipal service this office of municipal services assessment?
Dan Steinberg
0:48:58
That would be the deputy mayor for public safety.
Lincoln Restler
0:49:01
And who but who's the director of the office?
0:49:03
It reports into deputy mayor Banks.
0:49:05
Who's because it was reported in the press yesterday.
0:49:07
One thing, it's been reported to us differently.
0:49:09
You know who's in charge of the office?
Dan Steinberg
0:49:10
I don't know off the top of my head unless you're doing one.
0:49:13
Not off the top of my head.
Lincoln Restler
0:49:14
Okay.
0:49:15
Because it was written in the press yesterday.
0:49:16
I'm just, you know, for you know, somebody reads the political stories that Tim Pearson is actually in charge of the office.
0:49:25
When it was reported to us by other officials in city government.
0:49:31
We were told that there was a deputy inspector, Brian Bohannahan, a I'm maybe butchering his name.
0:49:37
I apologize to the Irish that is in charge of the office, Brian Bohannon Junior.
0:49:44
None of this means anything to you.
Dan Steinberg
0:49:45
I'll follow-up with you.
0:49:46
The name certainly rings about, but
Lincoln Restler
0:49:48
I mean, I do think it's notable that this office that's been created to, quote, improve city agency performance.
0:49:55
It has a similar mission to the office of operations that we don't even know who the director is.
0:50:01
Like, it just seems to me like deputy mayor banks and his whole team are operating an asylum unto themselves and doing whatever the heck they want, and then there's everybody else in city government So so we can't you can't speak to what the office of municipal service assessment has been doing in response to the NYPD overtime, the extreme increase in response times, the huge increase in minor summons issuance.
Dan Steinberg
0:50:25
I know they've been deployed most heavily on asylum seeker work.
0:50:30
They have been, you know, the the boots on the ground in terms of understanding conditions at at shelter sites.
0:50:35
But beyond that, I think the questions need to be directed there.
Lincoln Restler
0:50:39
I mean, I've been asking for 2 years to meet with their office about issue I mean, with the deputy mayor's team about issues that happening in our district and we get radio silence.
0:50:47
So this is consistent with our experience today.
0:50:52
Secret office secret operation.
0:50:54
I do wanna just ask about the CCRB and then I'll pause if anyone else wants to jump in.
0:51:00
You do?
0:51:00
Why don't I just pause now then?
0:51:01
You wanna do?
0:51:02
Okay.
0:51:02
The perhaps, it's not surprising that considering we've seen a a huge increase in summons and arrest by the NYPD over these past 2 years, major increase in the shown in the PMMR year over year.
0:51:15
There's also been a major uptick in civilian complaints.
0:51:17
I think we're up 60% in the PMMR year over year on track to be almost double as many civilian complaints about police misconduct as when the mayor came into office.
0:51:29
Due to budget cuts, CCRB recently announced that they're stopping probes into a variety of different types of allegations, when officers and queues to improperly removing someone to a hospital, seizing inappropriately, seizing property, and more.
0:51:44
Refusing to provide their name and badge number, which I think is something that that our friend, former council member Antonio Reynosa worked on, Have you discussed these trends with the CCRB and the NYPD?
0:51:55
Have any policy prescriptions been identified in conjunction with mayor's office of operations to try to address this significant increase in police misconduct allegations?
Dan Steinberg
0:52:05
We've briefed the mayor directly on those numbers, and and and we've taken note of them also and escalated them.
0:52:15
As you're stating, they're they're high by historical standards.
0:52:19
And the CCRB takes a great deal of pride in their outreach.
0:52:24
Which, you know, to some extent they feel like is working.
0:52:27
But clearly, there's a lot going on.
0:52:30
And the mayor has been also very focused on on more on expediting the review process because right now it it takes far too long.
0:52:41
It was, I think, a component of the state of the city speech.
0:52:44
And from a performance perspective, that's something that we're very attuned to.
0:52:49
Were also attuned to the mediation process from a performance perspective in the sense that that officers appear to be more eager to to entire mediation than civilians.
0:53:01
And and so these are issues that we brought to the mayor's attention fairly recently.
0:53:06
And and to the mayor's counsel who who oversees the CCRB.
0:53:11
Did they have
Lincoln Restler
0:53:11
any recommendations of things that could be done about this?
Dan Steinberg
0:53:17
The context of the meeting was more us briefing them on the phenomenon.
0:53:21
So I think better directed at the at the mayor's council.
Lincoln Restler
0:53:24
We will follow-up, but I it's just we've seen this historic increase in complaints about NYPD misconduct.
0:53:34
And the mayor's response was to cut the CCRB budget and reduce the amount of staff so that they can respond to fewer complaints when they're already as noted the p in your testimony and the PMMR taking far too long to resolve complaints.
0:53:46
So it just doesn't make sense.
Dan Steinberg
0:53:49
They could improve.
0:53:50
This cycle.
Lincoln Restler
0:53:51
But We appreciate the mild and modest improvement.
0:53:54
That's better than the alternative, but it's still unacceptable.
0:53:57
And I I I'm sure the CCRB is trying hard on outreach, but the reason that we get more complaints is because there's more misconduct.
0:54:06
And when we are issuing phenomenally more minor summons, when we are arresting more New Yorkers, we get more complaints of people being mistreated, and I'm disappointed that we're cutting their budget and not providing their meaningful support to make sure that those allegations of misconduct are swiftly and appropriately investigated, and people are held accountable for wrongdoing.
0:54:33
I will pause and pass it over to council member with the others.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:54:37
Thank you, chair.
0:54:38
Thank you both for your preparation today.
