Bratton: Don't Blame Stop-And-Frisk Reduction For Murder Spike
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police Commissioner Bill Bratton on Monday dismissed the impact of stop, question and frisk on New York City's crime rate.
He pointed out that in 2011, when there were nearly 700,000 stops, overall crime went up. Last year, with 48,000 stops, overall crime dropped, including murders, rapes, robberies and burglaries.
"So let's get over it," Bratton told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa and WCBS 880's Rich Lamb. "SQF is not a significant factor in the crime rate in this city. I'm sorry. If you give me facts and figures that show something else, I'm more than happy to listen."
New York City has seen a nearly 20 percent increase in homicides so far this year.
A federal court judge ruled that the NYPD, under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and police Commissioner Ray Kelly, was unconstitutionally using the stop-and-frisk policy to target minorities.
But some, including black community leaders, have called for a return to a modified version of stop-and-frisk.
Bratton insisted the city is not heading back to the "bad old days" and said as long as he's the police commissioner there will be a reduction in stops.