PBA statement on mayor and NYPD response to videos of abuse of Police Officers

PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said:

“The Mayor and the NYPD's official responses to these videos are mostly significant for what they fail to address: the broader public safety policies that have created this hostile environment, and the massive disincentives for police officers who take action to address it. All of our city’s leaders — including Mayor de Blasio, the City Council and the NYPD's leadership — need to reconsider the more than half-decade of policy-making that has normalized anti-social behavior, not only when it is directed towards police officers, but also when it disrupts quality of life for regular New Yorkers. They need to commit to supporting police officers whenever they proactively confront crime and disorder, not just when it is politically convenient to do so. Without a dramatic sea change, criminals who prey upon our communities will continue to grow bolder with the knowledge than any police officer who challenges them is placing his or her career at risk.”