Cops’ hands tied as burglaries rise amid coronavirus crisis: NYPD
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Burglaries are surging in the Big Apple during the coronavirus outbreak, but the NYPD’s hands are tied, because the suspects are being set free “immediately” after being arrested, Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday.
“It’s frustrating,” the top cop said on 1010 WINS. “The cops are out there making arrests for these burglaries. With the existing law, what’s happening is the individuals are being released immediately and that’s something that ultimately in the end will have to be fixed.”
A total of 259 burglaries were reported between April 13 and April 19 in the city — up 36.3 percent from the 190 reported during that period last year, according to the latest NYPD stats.
Officials have said the contentious bail reform law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, is all the more concerning amid the coronavirus outbreak, as burglars have plenty of closed stores to target.
In addition, more than 1,500 inmates have been released from city jails amid the coronavirus crisis, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office announced last week.
At least 50 of those have already landed back in jail — and in some cases were set free yet again, according to police sources and records.
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