nypd

NYPD Officers Are Actually Holding Back on Firing Their Weapons

It’s been a rough PR week for the New York Police Department, what with that awful stop-and-frisk video and the repercussions from the shooting of Noel Polanco. But a report showing the department had its second-fewest officer-involved shootings in 2011 suggests that the NYPD is at least showing restraint when it comes to deadly force. The department’s Annual Firearms Discharge Report showed its officers shot 28 people last year, killing nine. That’s up from 24 shot in 2010, but still the “second-lowest annual toll in recent city history,” according to the New York Times. The department couldn’t ask for better timing for the public to be reminded of this, after a few high-profile shootings in recent months. There was the Empire State incident that left nine bystanders wounded as police gunned down an office shooter, and the shooting of a knife-wielding man in Times Square, which police said was justified. After those unfortunate incidents, plus the Polanco shooting last week, it’s good to hear the overall trend is toward the NYPD shooting fewer people.

NYPD Officers Holding Back on Firing Weapons