NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The Detectives' Endowment Association has not made an endorsement in the New York City mayoral race, but the head of the union says the next mayor must be prepared to address citywide crime and safety.
In an interview with 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa, Detectives' Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo decried the current state of public safety in the five boroughs.
"In order to keep the economic machine moving, you need public safety. You need people to feel safe," he said. "And they don't."
As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the city must maintain its counterterrorism teams, DiGiacomo said. "Defunding the police," he maintained, is not an option.
"In defunding the police, they're taking away resources [for] us monitoring terrorist activities and keeping the city and this country safe," he said.
DiGiacomo also hopes to see the existing bail reform law altered.
"Nine out of 10 people who are arrested with firearms are released the next day," he said. Fifty percent of gunmen who pull the trigger, meanwhile, are back out on the street after appearing in court, he added.
"Where there's drug activity, there are other crimes. There are robberies, there are guns, there's slashings, there's turf wars," he said. "If our shootings continue, we're on par to have 1,000 more people shot in New York City in that time period."
Listen to Papa's full interview with DiGiacomo above.
