NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other lawmakers who called for Rikers Island inmates to be released amid a "crisis" at the jail should "reconsider" their request, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said in an interview with 1010 WINS on Thursday.
Speaking with Shea Thursday morning, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck asked the top cop what he thought about a letter Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velazquez sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Kathy Hochul asking them to "decarcerate and shut down the facility immediately."
"I would strongly urge for her to reconsider that. That's the last thing that we could have happen here," Shea responded. "You have to remember the public, Glenn, and the impact that would have on public safety."
"These are some pretty dangerous people. To be releasing them into the public, I think, would be a disaster," he added. "This is from our view and we'd be happy to discuss it and lay the facts out on the table but when you look at who's in Rikers Island it's pretty hard to get in there these days."
Shea did not dispute the four lawmakers' claim that the jail is currently experiencing a "humanitarian crisis." The city's Department of Correction on Wednesday confirmed that another Rikers Island detainee had died, marking the 12th inmate death at the facility this year.
The facility has also been plagued by understaffing and accused of mismanagement.
"I think when you step back and look at it, I mean, it's clearly a crisis right now. It's a crisis for all involved, including the prisoners," Shea said. "So we gotta make sure we have a functioning jail that's safe for the prisoners, and the inmates, safe for the guards, but also safe for the public."
The NYPD will be "pitching in" to mitigate the situation by deploying some of its officers to DOC facilities around the city, the commissioner noted.
"When you look at the attrition rates, and the sick rates in Corrections, we were asked to lend a hand. I mean, the NYPD is never going to say no," he said. "[The officers] will not be assigned to Rikers Island, but they will free up some correction officers in the outer boroughs that man the intakes, if you will, and that will allow some of those correction officers to then be reassigned to Rikers. That's the plan as it is now. It's obviously fluid."
Shea on Thursday also addressed mask compliance and vaccination rates among the NYPD's officers. As of Thursday, 62% of the department's members had gotten vaccinated against COVID-19, he said.
"Our vaccination rate is climbing — that's the good news," he said.
Asked about reports that some NYPD officers were still refusing to wear masks on buses and in the subway system, the commissioner spoke directly to his officers.
"To the NYPD members: no, you gotta," he said. "In this day and age, everyone has to be safe, and you gotta set the right example."
