Gov. Cuomo Questions If Mayor De Blasio's Police Reform Plan Does Enough To Address Gun Violence In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As gun violence continues to plague New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo questions whether Mayor Bill de Blasio's police reform plans have done enough to keep the city safe.
New York City has been unable to stop the gun violence. Just ask Evette Lilley, whose 12-year-old grandson was shot in the chest just a few days ago.
"It's constantly happening and nothing is being done," she said. "The guns need to go off the street."
Or a Bronx resident who lives near a construction site where a woman was shot and killed two days ago.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this could happen," he said.
Enter the governor, holding out the possibility that he'll use his powers to help fix things.
"You're not going to see New York City come back until people believe New York City is safe," Cuomo said. "You're not going to see the New York City economy rebound until people believe the New York City area is safe."
The governor is questioning whether de Blasio's state-required police reform plan sufficiently addresses gun violence.
"The gun crimes and the increase in crime is frightening people. I hear about it all the time, and the question is, is that police reform plan enough?" Cuomo said.
Watch: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Gives Latest Update --
As CBS2's Marcia Kramer reports, if Cuomo rejects the plan, he could withhold state aid to New York City or appoint an outside monitor.
City Hall hit back with the mayor's spokesman saying, "The overall crime rate has decreased in New York City and I won't take comments about crime seriously from someone credibly accused of committing sexual assault, a felony crime."
Overall crime is down 12.7% year-to-date, but gun crimes have skyrocketed.
There is a 52.3% increase in shooting victims with 335 this year compared to 220 last year.
The governor says he'll wait until next week to announce whether he'll accept New York City's reform plans and those submitted by some 400 other localities.