Well, it looks like they are facing a major backlash after black leaders in the city are calling on the New York Police Department to bring back the plainclothes unit as shootings and murders spike across the city. Shootings in the city soared 188 percent this week - from eight to 23 - compared to the same period last year, while murders doubled from four to eight.
About 600 undercover officers from the unit were set to be transferred to other assignments including detective work and policing neighborhoods, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said a month ago. The anti-crime unit, which was responsible for getting guns off the streets, had been falsely accused by politicians who wants to gain votes as stoking distrust in law enforcement in minority communities.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, one of the African-American voices calling for action on gun violence, criticized the Mayor Bill de Blasio's, a member of the Democratic Party, decision to completely disband the unit. He deplored the recent deadly shooting of a one-year-old, one of the victims of New York City’s recent spike in gun violence.
"I think that a total elimination is something we need to reevaluate," Adams said, CBS New York reported. "Right now, bad guys are saying if you don't see a blue and white you can do whatever you want."
Tony Herbert, an activist in New York's black community, agreed and lamented the rise in violence, criticizing New York officials for their failure to address the situation.
"The guns keep going off and now we have a 1-year-old and the blood is on the hands of the mayor and the state Legislature," Herbert said.
The decision to disband the anti-crime unit was also panned by Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, who warned that consequences would follow if city leaders refused to deal with increased gun violence.
In recent weeks, the NYPD has experienced a surge of over 400 percent in retirement applications from officers amid tensions with city officials and after the city’s police budget was slashed by US$ 1 billion.