De Blasio: Extra cops deployed in wake of Times Square shooting, NYC tourism will be OK
Mayor de Blasio promised a strong response to the weekend’s shocking shooting at Times Square even as he played down its potential impact on tourism on Monday.
Hizzoner said the NYPD would deploy an unspecified number of “critical response” officers to the popular tourist destination and “maybe some other areas, as well,” following the Saturday incident. Two women and a 4-year-old were struck by gunfire that broke out following an argument among several men.
Critical response teams are deployed for everything from terrorist threats to civic unrest, along with violent crimes.
“It was a horrible incident. We never want to see one like it again,” de Blasio said at a news conference, adding that the additional cops would provide “an extra measure of protection.”
Asked whether he thought the shooting would deter tourism as the city launches a huge marketing campaign to bring visitors back, Hizzoner rejected the suggestion.
“In the end, people want to come to the city,” he said. “It is an overwhelmingly safe city when you look at New York City compared to cities around the country, around the world.”
City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-S.I.) dismissed the mayor’s take.
“Anytime a headline-grabbing shooting in Times Square happens, it’s going to scare some tourists. The only difference now is that we seem to tolerate these incidents,” he told the Daily News.
Echoing frequent criticism from Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, Borelli argued that bail reform and recent changes to policing policy have made the city less safe — and “that keeps tourists away.”
“There’s definitely an emboldened criminal element because of the lack of consequences,” the councilman concluded. “It’s scary to think about the countless other shootings at less-known intersections where we don’t have enough police to send in massive critical response teams.”
Last month, the de Blasio administration kicked off a $30 million effort to urge visitors to come back to the Big Apple. The mayor also wants to make vaccinations available to tourists at Times Square and other spots.
Meanwhile, crime is surging. As of May 2, the city had 132 homicides — up 17% from 113 during the same time frame last year — according to the NYPD. There were 463 shooting victims as of May 2, a spike of 79% compared with last year.
At a separate news conference, Gov. Cuomo said the weekend shooting shows there’s a wider problem in the five boroughs.
He lamented the public divide about “defunding” the police — a rallying cry from last summer’s protests over the death of Black Minneapolis man George Floyd at the hands of a white officer — and said the next mayor of New York City will have to step up and address the rising violence.
“For the next mayor, that’s going to be a threshold issue,” declared Cuomo, who’s been reeling from allegations of sexual misconduct and the scandal over his handling of COVID deaths at nursing homes.
“It’s not just crime in the subways — it’s crime in the city, and I think that should be a top topic in this mayoral debate,” he continued. “What do you think the solution is? How do we stop the killings?”
Over the weekend, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and businessman Andrew Yang, both mayoral hopefuls, promised to tackle the problem, rejecting the movement to defund the NYPD and promising new efforts to get guns off streets.
Asked for comment on a proposal from Adams to reconstitute the NYPD’s controversial anti-crime unit, de Blasio was skeptical.
“I have a lot of respect for Eric Adams. I’ve worked closely with him over the years,” the mayor said. “I happen to disagree with him on this issue.”
Yang has proposed a similar measure, saying he’d create an “anti-violence and community safety unit” to crack down on guns. De Blasio was not asked about that.
Recent surveys have shown crime as a top concern for voters ahead of the June 22 primaries for mayor.
Progressive candidates Dianne Morales and Maya Wiley have promised to nix $1 billion to $3 billion from the NYPD budget.
The Police Benevolent Association suggested Monday it wouldn’t make an endorsement until a candidate emerges as the pro-cop choice.
“Well, I know for sure it’s not me,” Wiley, a former top legal aide to de Blasio, teased on Twitter. “Tomorrow I’ll be announcing my plan to improve the NYPD and hold officers accountable and you’ll see why.”
With Rocco Parascandola and Denis Slattery
