“It’s absolutely right that New Yorkers were deeply grateful and respectful of the police in the post-9/11 era,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “But the Bloomberg administration squandered the good will and support that New Yorkers felt by adopting extremely harsh and excessive policies.”
At the same time, New York’s crime rate has declined to historic levels, including within the city’s toughest neighborhoods. The number of police shootings — fatal and otherwise — remains relatively low for a force of 35,000 officers.
The department has taken pains to diversify its ranks, with the number of minority officers about equaling whites. A dozen years ago, whites accounted for about 60 percent of rank-and-file officers.
While the department’s critics acknowledge a safer city, they also say that police tactics have alienated residents, particularly in poor neighborhoods.
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