NEW YORK (77WABC) — The NYPD’s new anti-gun unit is meant to target escalating gun violence amid a recent spoke in crime across New York City.
Over the weekend, the NYPD says 29 people were shot, one fatally in 24 separate incidents. It’s the most people hit by gunfire over a three day period so far this year.
A total of 470-specially trained officers in the neighborhood safety teams are targeting 28-precincts where gun violence has escalated during the viral pandemic. The precincts include: Queens; Staten island; Canarsie, Brooklyn; and Harlem.
Shootings in NYC are up 17% compared to the same time last year, with 284 shootings so far in 2022, compared to 242 during the same time period last year.
Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell visited an NYPD public housing command Monday to thank members of the new anti-gun unit, which is dubbed the Neighborhood Safety Unit. Adams and Sewell said that in just one week, cops in the unit recovered 10 guns and made 31 arrests.
