NYPD at the Brink: Can Anything Be Done to Save NYC's Beleaguered Police Force?

The recent resignation of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban has left the New York City Police Department reeling, its future hanging precariously in the balance. Amid a federal probe of Mayor Eric Adams’s administration, city officials are scrambling to regain public trust, a commodity that’s been in short supply following a series of high-profile incidents and scandals.

The situation got even more complicated last weekend when officers in a Brooklyn subway station opened fire on an alleged turnstile jumper armed with a knife, accidentally shooting a fellow officer and a bystander in the process. The incident has raised fresh questions about police tactics and the use of force, and has further eroded the public’s confidence in the ability of the NYPD to keep its citizens safe.

In the wake of Caban’s resignation, Mayor Adams swiftly moved to appoint Tom Donlon, a law enforcement professional with a long record of involvement in criminal and terrorist cases, as the new interim commissioner. While Donlon’s appointment has been seen as a positive step by some, others have expressed skepticism about the ability of the NYPD to reform itself from within.

According to Michael Alcazar, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan and a retired NYPD detective, the NYPD’s image has undoubtedly been affected by the Caban scandal. “Mayor Adams and Donlon will both face the challenge of communicating their new strategies to the New York communities they serve and working to rebuild trust and confidence,” he said.

But with several key city officials, including the mayor’s chief legal adviser, Lisa Zornberg, resigning in recent days, it’s clear that the crisis facing the NYPD runs deep. Some have even called for the mayor to step down, citing a lack of accountability and a failure to address the underlying issues that have led to the current scandal.

State Sen. Julia Salazar, for example, took to social media to express her frustration with the situation. “We’ve seen enough,” she wrote. “I am tired of a lack of accountability from executives at every level of government. Several FBI investigations and too much harm done to the best city in the world. Time to step aside and allow for new leadership.”

Despite these challenges, Alcazar believes that Mayor Adams has taken steps to assure the public that he is still firmly in control. The appointment of Donlon as interim commissioner, for example, is seen as a move to emphasize integrity and law enforcement credibility during this transitional phase.

But others are not so optimistic. Robert Gangi, director of the Police Reform Organizing Project, a New York-based advocacy group that seeks to curb what it views as widespread abuse and discrimination on the part of the NYPD, believes that the department’s and the mayor’s reputations may be beyond repair.

“The NYPD is supposed to be free from political influence and putting public safety and neutral law enforcement above other concerns, but the reality is that the NYPD is really under the control of one person – the mayor,” he said. “We see similar circumstances with Adams as mayor, so we don’t see any prospect of significant changes under the new commissioner.”

Gangi points to the example of Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the 1990s, who pushed out Bill Bratton as NYPD commissioner within two years and essentially set the main policies for the department. He sees similar dynamics at play with Adams, and believes that any proposed changes to NYPD practices will require a green light from the mayor.

This lack of independence and oversight has led to a host of problems, including the use of police to respond to mental health crises and traffic violations. Gangi argues that these policies are not only ineffective but also lead to further mistrust and conflict between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

As the crisis facing the NYPD continues to unfold, one thing is clear: something needs to be done to restore public trust and ensure that the city’s police force is accountable to the people it serves. Whether that will happen under the current leadership remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – the status quo is no longer an option.