With the growing tension between law enforcement, civilians, and the government, it seems that the pressure must eventually be released. But where will this come from? Many are beginning to speculate that New York will lead the way with action from police officers.
With the recent deaths of two NYPD officers boiling in the belly of New York City, the anti-cop protests have only acted to stoke the fire even further. Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration are even facing tensions with the police force. Not only do many officers feel that de Blasio has not effectively defended or protected them, but they are now feeling further attacked by new potential "corrective" actions on the horizon.
Why are corrective actions being threatened?
With tensions so high, both sides seem to be quick to jump on any sign of further attack. For instance, city officials have reported an alarming drop in crime statistics recently. They fear that a work stoppage is looming on the horizon. This is due to the 70% drop in DWI arrests, more than 95% drop in subway incident arrests, and close to 80% drop in arrest around housing developments in the two weeks following the NYPD officer's deaths. Furthermore, traffic and speeding tickets have also significantly dropped in numbers.
While city sources believe these are signs of a slowdown, unions and law enforcement associations are claiming that there is no sanctioned labor action going on. However, city officials have verbalized threats of "corrective" actions through invoking the Taylor Law or administrative actions from NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.
Some law enforcement associations feel that the threat of utilizing the Taylor Law is too serious to be used without credible reason or evidence. As the chess game between the mayor and law enforcement continues, some have stated that a third party needs to come in to mediate negotiations between both sides. Others believe that if the mayor simple supports a state bill that increases pensions for new officers, it will resolve everything. Still, other parties want the mayor to block the controversial police reform bills created by City Council.
Whatever happens, it seems to be increasingly important to the safety of the city that matters are resolved between city officials and the police force as soon as possible.