On the three year anniversary of Eric Garner's death, the Justice Department's investigation is ongoing and the white officer who put Garner in the fatal choke hold is still employed by the New York Police Department.

Brooklyn Borough President and former NYPD Officer Eric Adams says Garner's death is the result of not training officers to avoid the use of force.

"The Eric Gardner scenario was a condition - they immediately took out the hammer and used the hammer approach to correcting that condition and that's what you're seeing across America," Adams tells WNYC's Jami Floyd.

At a press conference today announcing the opening of a new police precinct in Queens, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Eric Garner's death was a loss for his family, but also for the city as a whole.

"[This is] a time of reflection once again on the path we're on. His tragic death really focused this city and to some extent this nation on the work we have to do to bring police and community closer together," said de Blasio.

The Mayor acknowledged there is work that still needs to be done regarding police reform in the city, but insisted that the environment has improved.

"Progress has been made in this city," said de Blasio, citing the decrease in stop-and-frisk and the increase in de-escalation and inherent bias training.