12 JANUARY 27, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
‘Our city against the killers’
Amid tragedy, the NYPD and its
largest union, the Police Benevolent
Association, are uniting
with the Adams administration in an
eff ort to tackle gun violence aft er two
of New York’s Finest, Police Offi cers
Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora, were
senselessly shot, with Rivera passing
on Jan. 21 and Mora sucumbing to his
injuries on Jan. 25.
The two focal points in the gun
violence crisis now gripping our city
seem to be the proliferation of illegal
guns and the question of whether bail
reform had resulted in more bloodshed
on our streets.
Let’s start with the latter point,
which is oft en disputed. Law enforcement
offi cials have said the bail reform
bill enacted in 2020 went too far and
created a revolving door for violent
criminals to get back on the street
quickly and commit more crime.
Bail reform supporters, on the other
hand, say that the changes — made to
ensure nonviolent off enders wouldn’t
have to remain locked up for long
periods on Rikers Island — have not
been a primary factor in the uptick in
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“It is our city against the killers,” Mayor Eric Adams said Jan. 21 after two police offi cers were shot.
Photo by Dean Moses
violence.
The situation demands that state
lawmakers once again review the bail
reform bill, working with top law enforcement
experts, to ensure that any
loophole that may allow a judge to set
free a violent off ender be closed.
To merely take another look, reevaluate
and change the law does not
mean we should reverse whatever
progress that bail reform did make.
Its goal was to ensure that nonviolent
individuals accused of committing
nonviolent crimes are not indefi nitely
incarcerated among more dangerous
individuals. That goal should remain.
The best way to combat illegal guns
in New York City is through increased
law enforcement. We believe the time
has come for the NYPD to reinstate, in
some form, the Anti-Crime Units dissolved
in 2020, but with fundamental
changes to ensure that these offi cers
do not violate individual rights and
freedoms.
It’s clear that the NYPD needs some
form of a tactical team designed specifi
cally to target gun criminals and
get them off the streets, along with the
weapons. We understand the concerns
criminal justice advocates have had
with regard to Anti-Crime Units, and
the Adams administration and the
NYPD must take care to adequately
meet those concerns.
But the city just cannot wait any
longer. Over the past couple of years,
too many people have been shot. Too
many people have been killed. Too
many families have been broken by
gun violence in the city. It’s time for
all of us to stand up and say, “Enough.”
“It is our city against the killers,” Mayor
Eric Adams said Friday night.
That’s the reality of our situation today.
Let’s come together to get the guns
off the street, get the criminals behind
bars and restore peace in the city.
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