Gov. Cuomo Calls Out Mayor de Blasio, Demands Plan For NYPD Redesign As Shooting Totals Worsen
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - With police conduct back in the forefront after Louisville, KY cops were cleared in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday for dragging his feet in drawing up a plan to redesign the NYPD.
The latest NYPD crime stats show the number of shooting victims increased by 150% last week, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
LINK: Tracking Shootings In New York City
It's a fact that has not escaped Gov. Cuomo: gun violence in New York City has continued unabated.
Cuomo now wants to know why Mayor de Blasio hasn't started to come up with a plan to redesign the NYPD.
Months ago, the governor issued an executive order giving every city, town and village until April 1, 2021 to redesign their policing tactics or lose state funding.
"146 jurisdictions in this state have already sat down at the table and started the reimagining process," said Gov. Cuomo.
It was the governor's latest dig at his "frienemy," de Blasio.
Cuomo pointed out places like Albany, Suffolk County and Poughkeepsie are already hard at work.
Watch Gov. Cuomo's Press Briefing:
"How is it acceptable that New York City is not on that list of 146 jurisdictions that have started a plan to fix their police department?" Kramer asked Cuomo.
"It is not acceptable. Every New Yorker can tell you that the crime problem has gotten worse," the governor responded.
Cuomo raised the issue of de Blasio's inaction after New Yorkers, again, took to the streets to protest police actions and the decision by a Kentucky grand jury to clear cops in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
Cuomo said the city has to rethink how the NYPD does its job.
"You have a $10 billion budget for public safety in New York City. You have 35,000 people. How do you want to reinvent and reimagine that?" said Cuomo. "Not every public safety need is answered with a gun... It takes leadership to make this happen."
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A spokesperson for Mayor de Blasio fired back saying, "Echoing Donald Trump's attacks on New York City is not helping our recovery."
There was no response from the mayor's office Thursday about when he plans to address the issue about redesigning the NYPD.
The governor made it clear that if the mayor doesn't do it, he'll find somebody else who can.
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