NYPD Numbers Show Summer Shooting Spike Continues

Last week saw a 220 percent increase in shootings compared to the same week last year. That spike continues a trend that has plagued the city in recent months. The NYPD has blamed the violence on criminal justice reforms and court closures due to Covid-19. But police unions have taken issue with the department's decision to abandon anti-crime units, which went after guns aggressively. After the recent protests, the NYPD disbanded the units, which had a history of police shootings. Now, Police Commissioner Dermott Shea is hinting he could bring them back. Activists want the city to invest more in alternatives to policing, such as community-based violence interrupters.