NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that NYPD will no longer be arresting citizens for certain low-level offenses in Manhattan. The lists of offenses includes public consumption of alcohol, public urination, littering and riding between subway cars or taking up more than one subway seat.
According to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr, these offenses will no longer be prosecuted however offenders who have a warrant can be “detained” while those who do not can still receive a summons and be required to pay a fine.
Read more below.
Mayor de Blasio released a statement today; “Using summonses instead of arrests for low-level offenses is an intuitive and modern solution that will help make sure resources are focused on our main priority: addressing threats to public safety,” he added, “Today’s reforms allow our hardworking police officers to concentrate their efforts on the narrow group of individuals driving violent crime in New York City. This plan will also help safely prevent unnecessary jail time for low-level offenses.”
The news announced today applies only to Manhattan.
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