Only 11 of the nearly 4,000 people caught smoking pot in New York City earlier this year had to spend a night in Central Booking, according to new arrest records.
The rest of the 3,897 marijuana smokers nabbed in the first three months of 2016 received desk-appearance tickets, were processed at the local police station house and sent on their way.
That’s a sea change from the same period in 2013 — the final year of the Bloomberg administration — when 7,454 individuals were cited for the same offense and just 2,853 of them got a DAT.
The shift came after Mayor de Blasio’s November 2014 announcement that cops would have more discretion in dealing with marijuana offenses.
DATs are also increasing for other misdemeanors:
- Seventy-two percent of those stopped for driving with a suspended or revoked license received a DAT in 2016, compared to 62 percent in 2013.
- Suspects charged with fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon got DATs in 65 percent of cases, compared to 46 percent three years ago.
But not everyone is getting off lightly.
Those nabbed for 5th-degree criminal possession of stolen property were given DATs in 34 percent of cases, versus 50 percent in 2013