Andrew Burton/Getty Images A new police poll showed that many members of the NYPD are reluctant to exercise force due to the threat of lawsuits or criticism from the public. That said, 6,000 people is a very large sample (the whole uniformed force is about 34,000), and the numbers are striking: 97 percent of cops said that de Blasio has created a city where criminals feel reassured, and 95 percent said that he has created a city that is anti-cop.
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The New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said the formula to improve the NYPD’s rock bottom morale is simple.
“The results of this survey prove what we’ve been hearing time and time again from members over the past two years – the job is more hard than ever, the dangers are greater, and morale is extremely low”, PBA President Patrick Lynch told The New York Post. Public opinion and survey research firm McLaughlin and Associates was behind the questionnaire.
According to the poll, 96 percent of PBA members believe police and community relations have worsened, and 70 person indicated that relations had “greatly worsened”.
Many New York Police Department officers said New York City has become less safe under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, according to a survey conducted by the union representing the city’s police officers.
On a scale of 0 to 10, morale was at a low average of 2.49 among respondents.
A spokeswoman for Mark-Viverito, Robin Levine, noted in a statement the speaker’s support for the hiring of new cops and the purchase of more vests, adding that “she will continue to work with Commissioner Bratton, the NYPD and the PBA to keep NY the safest big City in the world”. That ranking seemed fairly consistent among cops of all ages, gender and tenure.
The NYPD says it has not yet recieved the survey results, and will review them if and when they do.
Ninety-six percent said that they believe suspects are more likely to resist arrest and 91 percent believe that graffiti, public urination, panhandlers and other signs of disorder are growing more prevalent.
In the past, Bratton has acknowledged that when he took over as commissioner in 2014, cop morale was poor and he was addressing the issue.
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Asked their view of Bratton, 66 percent of respondents said they approved, while 32 percent disapproved.
