Thomas A. Reppetto
Latest Articles
Bratton's use of force rules will handcuff rank-and-file cops
š§ The NYPDās announcement of new rules that require virtually every police use of force, however small, to be documented has come about because of incidentš s such as the one where...
A return to zip-code pāolicing will wreck New York š°
Police Commissioner William Bratton has apparently seen enošŖugh. Last week, he assembled the top brass of the NYPD and directed them to vigorously enforce public-order laws. This comes after some...
Speciāal prosecutor for cops: Here come the witch hunts
Last week, Gov. Cuomoš° appointed New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to act as a special prosecutor in incidents where police kill an unarmed civilian or when there is a...
š„ How the NYPD can learn more from criminals
Every Monday morning the NYPD issues a report on crime figures for the year to date. Then thš¦©e fun begins: Police officials, politicians, journalists and advocates interpret the numbers in.ą¼ŗ..
The elite unit the NYPD must revive to šÆfight gun crime
Twenty years ago, I had the honor of observing one of the finest outfits the American police ever fielded in action: the NYPD citywide street-crime unit (SCU). Itā was a...
ź¦Gang šcrime is usually just the start of wider woes
When confronted by reporters with the revšelation that the murder rate in the city is on the rise, Mayor Bill de Blasio brushed it off as gang violence that meant.š“..
Who's really in charge of today's NYPD?
Once upon a time, it was easy to describe the leadership structure overseeing New York City policing. No moą²re. Twenty years ago, it was Mayor Rudy Giuliani asź¦ŗ No. 1,...
Broken Windowsā± 2.0: Tišøme for an NYPD re-do
š„ ā Since Mayor de Blasio took office a little over a year ago, his plans for the NYPD have been difficult to fathom. One puzzle stems from the fact that the...
āThe road to nationalizinšg the police
Since the founding of the force, New Yorkās police headquartš¼ers has been located in Lower Manhattan. But it soon may be moving to 16ā00 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, DC. Not...
The end of the NYPD's dynasty?
Itās rough when a championship team seemās to break down overnight, as New York has seen in recent years with the baseball Yankees and the football Giants. And now it...
Those easy 'fixes' for NYC policing
Various new ideas now kicking around about law enforcement sound good, but beware of the CatšØch-22s where a measure designed to solve a problem only makes it worse. āBroken Windowsā...
Take back the NYPD: De Blasio needs antš°i-crime agenda š¤”
Mayor de Blasio conspicuously didnāt allocate money for more cops in the budget he presented Monday ā but clearly left the door open oān that front. The mayor ought to...
Let Preet sweep: Don't buy Albany's 'reforms'
In the wake of the arrest of Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, weāre again hearing proposals for new laws and procedures to end corruption šøin Albany. Ignore them all, for now....
All against all: NYC's policing war
Are the people who run the NYPD -- headquarters brass, union officials, the mayorās office, city lawyers -- ever going to get on the sašme page, or will it take...š°
To fix the NYPD: Getting beyondš¶ the slowdown š
Morale in the NYPD continues to deteriorate to the point that it threatens public safety. Where do we go from here? Despite closed-door sessions among the mayor, the police commissź¦ioner... š¦¹
The NYPD in crisis: Crime's still down -- for now
So the new year has begun as last year ended, with thousands of cops turning their backs āon Mayor Bill de Blasio at a funeral for one of their officers....
City at the brink -- we must find a middle grounš¬d on policing
On Saturday a cold-blooded killer murdered two New York City police officers who were sitting in their patroāl car on a Brooklynš street. New Yorkers are always shocked by the...
'Broken windows': Why NYC cops are headed back into patrol cars
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and other estimable New Yorkers are still vigorously defending ābroken windowsā law enforceš§ment, but the other side isnāt listening, let alone debating back. And, indeed, it...
Ferguson leš¦©ssons as New York awaits ruling in Garner case
Did we learn anything from events in Ferguson, Mo.? With a ruling coming any day in the Eric Garner case heršøe in New York, letās hope so. I have no...
NYPD brass should š“stop playing games ą¹
The Post reported last week on a two-day meeting of 140 NYPD brass at a mansion in Riverdale. Onš Wednesday, Commissioner Bill Bratton tweeted: āa great day with my executive.š§ø..