Malliotakis, Garbarino & Katko Hold Law Enforcement Roundtable with NYPD, DEA Leadership

(MANHATTAN, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today joined Reps. John Katko (NY-24), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), in holding a roundtable discussion with top New York City law enforcement officials and association leadership. The Members reiterated their support for law enforcement and heard directly from leadership about the challenges police are facing today, including rising rates of violent crime, resource management, and officer retention in New York City.

During the discussion, NYPD leadership shared shocking new crime statistics with the Members, including:

• 97% of shooting victims in New York City are Black or Latino.
• New York's bail reform law releases nine out of ten individuals arrested for possessing illegal firearms back onto the streets along with 50% of those arrested for shootings.
• NYPD data estimates 1,000 more people will be shot in New York City by January if these policies are not corrected.  

"It was a pleasure to host Representatives Garbarino and Katko in New York City this morning to meet with the men and women of the NYPD and hear first hand about the tools and resources our officers need to effectively do their jobs," said Congresswoman Malliotakis. "So many that I represent are concerned about public safety in our city. I have been at the forefront of pushing back against those in our city, state, and federal government who are proposing anti-police policies that have destroyed New York City's quality of life and led to skyrocketing crime. Unfortunately, many of my Democratic colleagues are attempting to push the same policies at the federal level. They don't understand the ramifications of these policies; they need to listen to us when we say that these policies do not work."

Malliotakis added: "I'm encouraged to see that the federal government has responded to our calls to send additional law enforcement officers to our city to assist with the growing threat of gun violence. While this is a step in the right direction, the best thing the Mayor can do now is reverse the damage he's done and get out of the way by restoring the NYPD's plainclothes unit and refunding the $1 billion he stripped from the department's budget. The Mayor created this problem and now the feds have to come and fix it because he simply won't allow the NYPD to do its job."

"This is a very difficult discussion we're having today," said Congressman Katko. "I can tell you, the officers that are standing here with us today are devastated, not for their own sake, but for the people they work with. They are prideful people. They care deeply about their communities - so much so that they're willing to give their life to save their communities. Defunding the police is stupid - it does not work. Getting more money to these departments is something I'm fully supportive of."

"We're here today to meet with the people who know what it's like to police, who know what they need," said Congressman Garbarino. "We can't take care of everything on the federal level, but we're going to work together along with the police officers to help them do their jobs - not tie their hands behind their backs."

"I want to thank our congressional leaders for listening to what's going on in New York City today," said Paul DiGiacomo, New York City Detectives Endowment Association President. "This bail reform law is not working. There is a direct correlation between this law being enacted and the uptick in crime, shootings and homicides. We've been calling on the Senate, Assembly and the Governor to fix this bail reform law. How many more people have to die or get shot before our local politicians wake up and fix what they broke?"

TO WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE, CLICK HERE