The number of gunslingers arrested in New York City spiked a whopping 74% this year — proof that the return of plainclothes cops is working, experts told The Post.
The number of suspects collared for gun-related crimes soared to 10,827 from 6,205, and the amount of guns seized in those arrests climbed 3% to 4,558 from 4,432, NYPD data show.
The arrest explosion comes as the number of murders and shooting victims this year has dived 13% and 16% respectively.
“For all of the naysayers out there that say cops don’t prevent crime, once again, here’s your proof … Proactive policing matters and it acts as a deterrent,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Fewer people will carry guns as the word spreads” that resurrected NYPD anti-gun units are back on the streets.
“Now, if we can get Albany onboard to remove their bail stance on the possession of an illegal firearm and get a few DAs back to charging the crime, that would be great,” he added.
Former Police Commissioner Dermot Shea in mid-2020 disbanded the 600-person, undercover anti-crime unit, saying its officers were behind a “disproportionate” amount of “complaints and shootings” compared to the rest of the force. The orphan cops — spread out at precinct and public housing patrols across the city — were reassigned into other posts.
But the controversial unit had been known for effectively getting guns off the street, often with the help of street-level information.
In January, Mayor Adams announced he was bringing back the undercover squad, and that its members would not be abusive. In mid-March, the first wave of the NYPD’s rebranded anti-gun units — Neighborhood Safety Teams — hit the streets.
Adams, a former NYPD captain, vowed to “get the guns” out of criminals’ hands.
“They are definitely removing guns off the streets with arrests. The Neighborhood Safety units bring the element of surprise,” said Michael Alcazar, a retired NYPD detective who is now an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Now the criminals also have to second-guess whether to do the crime. They’re not so comfortable. They don’t know whether those two guys in a Toyota might be police officers.”
In June, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell credited the Neighborhood Safety
Teams for doing their part, with other units, for making a record number of firearm busts.
“The decline in shootings is proof of what the NYPD can accomplish when we direct sufficient attention and resources toward a problem,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said. “The bigger problem is that we don’t have the staffing to do this for every crime category.”
Even soft-on-crime Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg approves of the gun arrests. “Combatting gun violence is D.A. Bragg’s top priority. With both enforcement and prevention, we’ve driven down homicides and shootings in Manhattan,” his office tweeted on Thursday, noting homicides and shootings in Manhattan were each down 20% this year.
The number of gun busts are at a 27-year-high, according to the NYPD.
