New York City police officers are reportedly being assaulted and injured at a record rate, according to NYPD data.
According to NYPD information, 4,077 officers were injured in the first three quarters of last year, compared to 4,737 in all of 2022.
Data for the fourth quarter of 2023 has not yet been released, but the number of police officers injured by suspects is on pace to reach an all-time high of 5,436, according to the New York Post.
“More than 5,000 police officers were assaulted and injured last year. This is not just a record, it’s a full-blown epidemic,” Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, told the newspaper.
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This image from a video provided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office shows a scuffle between New York City Police Department officers and immigrants in Times Square on January 27, 2024. (Manhattan District Attorney, via AP)
“The vicious attacks on police officers that we have recently witnessed did not suddenly come out of nowhere. This dangerous environment has been building for years…. The situation will not get better until they are prosecuted and put behind bars,” he added. “And that won’t happen unless New Yorkers continue to speak out and demand an end to the chaos.”
According to the data, only 3,939 police officers, on-duty and off-duty, were injured in 2021.
Of the officers injured in the first three quarters of last year, 261 officers were seriously or seriously injured, compared to 315 in all of 2022.
This puts the number on track to increase by 10% to 348 people in 2023, the New York Post reported.
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New York City police officers and detectives are investigating after a person was shot inside a store on Orchard Street in Manhattan in July 2023. The number of police injuries in the first three quarters of last year is on pace to set a new annual record. The York Post reported. (Jeff Buckner of New York Daily News via Getty Images)
One of the most recent incidents of personal injury occurred in late January when immigrants attacked two police officers in Times Square.
Also in January, a machete-wielding suspect slashed a sergeant in the head in Brooklyn, an officer was punched in the face at a subway station in Manhattan, and another officer was hit by a wrong-way driver while responding to a robbery scene. There was an incident where he was allegedly hit. the newspaper reported.
Lou Turco, president of the NYPD Lieutenants’ Benevolent Association, told Fox News Digital last week, “The NYPD is great at catching people who commit crimes, but New York City is no longer prosecuting or incarcerating anyone.” I don’t want to.”
In April 2023, an on-duty New York City police officer was attacked on video by a passerby with a bottle. (New York Post)
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The state’s bail laws were amended in 2019 to eliminate cash bail and require release for most misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes, a lax police practice that has exacerbated crime in the city. argue the critics. Supporters say the purpose of the law was to reduce the risk that people of limited means would be incarcerated because they could not afford bail.
FOX News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
