A former leader of the New York Police Department (NYPD) said that his city has seen a significant reduction in quality of life for residents in recent years. Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said that the city is facing the pressure of increased crime amid concern over nearly 200,000 migrants who have entered the city in the past two years.
Kelly said that the city’s quality of life “has really deteriorated” in recent years. He said that he was asked by a person about the current state of the city, and mentioned that it appeared that “there’s nobody in charge.” Kelly said that this was “exactly his feeling.”
The former police chief’s statements on local media cited the increase in subway crime, which he said was “still very much an issue, and it’s keeping people off the subways.”
He also said that the city’s proposed congestion tax that could charge $15 to enter parts of the city could “force” commuters on the subways while “people are afraid to go on the subways.”
“I’m pessimistic, certainly, about the short-term situation as far as New York is concerned,” he said.
Kelly said that the city’s police department was “working hard” but was “way short of police officers.”
The former commissioner said that it was difficult to recruit officers and that prospective cops “know the restrictions.” He said that police have been “demonized and vilified throughout the country” and that there have been a number of attacks on police officers.
“There are no consequences,” he said.
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New York has seen a number of significant attacks on police officers in recent years. This includes the high-profile attack on NYPD officers in Times Square by migrants.
Furthermore, the city also announced that the number of injuries among police officers while on duty has increased significantly in recent years. There were almost 3,600 injuries to NYPD officers in 2023, which was a sharp increase compared to the previous year.
“That’s not leadership. That’s not what you’re supposed to do, but that’s where we are,” Kelly said.
