NYPD rolling out new Quality of Life teams. Here's where they will start.
The NYPD is rolling out a new
Quality of Life Division
across five precincts and several housing developments Monday.
Officials say complaints about noise, drug use, panhandling and illegal parking have risen over the last six years. Critics, however, worry the crackdown may disproportionately target low-income residents.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch say the pilot program is about making sure every New Yorker feels seen, heard and safe by responding to non-emergency 311 concerns.
Officials say complaints about these low-level offenses have doubled in the last six years, with panhandling seeing a 200% increase.
But the New York Civil Liberties Union warns that the new enforcement is a return to the so-called "broken windows" police strategy employed by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and fears it will lead to police harassment and profiling of people of color.
The NYPD commissioner has insisted that is not the case and the new unit is not a return to zero tolerance policing.
The pilot program launches Monday in the following locations:
The program will be evaluated over the course of the next two months before expanding.
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