Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
De Blasio's NYPD Making More Petty Arrests Than Bloomberg's
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 18, 2014
Modified Sep 18, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
AP
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 18, 2014
Modified Sep 18, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
"I want a community-policing worldview," Bill de Blasio told New York Magazine last year, referring to the differences between his NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg's. "I want to fundamentally reform our current approach." Seven months after de Blasio took office, his police force is arresting more New Yorkers for low-level offenses than his predecessor's—and the vast majority of those petty arrests continue to involve people of color.
From January through July 2014, the NYPD made 137,039 misdemeanor arrests, compared with 136,208 over the same time period in 2013. The most common charge was theft, followed by assault, then criminal possession of marijuana.
Of all marijuana-related arrests, 90% involved people of color, compared with 90.1% of arrests occurring in 2013; 90% of all trespass arrests this year involved people of color.
The numbers were obtained from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services by the Police Reform Organizing Project, a group that has pointed to the similarities between De Blasio and Bloomberg's policing styles since June.
"De Blasio and Bratton pay lip service to the idea of community policing, but having meetings with high level clergy like Rev. Al Sharpton or Cardinal Dolan, that's all window dressing," says Robert Gangi, the director of PROP.
"There's an undeniable, stark racial bias in these low-level arrests," Gangi adds. "It sounds almost exaggerated, but it's true: the vast majority of police resources are focused on ticketing people or arresting people engaging in low-level infractions."
As part of his "All Out" initiative earlier this summer, Commissioner Bratton and Chief of Department Philip Banks III announced that cops would be required to chat with residents and go about "generating contacts."
"They're gonna be knocking on doors to see how [the NYPD] is doing. The residents of New York City will see more police officers on the street," Banks said.
Bratton told us last month, "Overall trending on marijuana related issues in the city is in fact down, it will continue to go down," but the number of marijuana-related arrests have essentially remained the same for the first seven months of 2014 compared with 2014. Arrests for marijuana possession dropped slightly from 17,630 to 17,117, despite the fact that for the final month counted, the Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson essentially decriminalized the offense in the city's most populous borough.
A spokesman for the de Blasio administration predicted that the mayor would address the PROP numbers shortly—we'll update if this happens.
Tagged
Bill Bratton
bill de blasio
broken windows
community policing
misdemeanor arrests
racially biased policing
original
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
A NYC judge brought his gun into court for an ‘experiment’. Now he’s censured.
The state commission on judicial conduct said Judge Jeffrey A. Gershuny “acknowledged that his conduct was improper,” and added that he was “apologetic and cooperative.”
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
The Bronx is getting a new casino and a reimagined Ferry Point Park, too
Here's a look at designs for a redeveloped park, including new amenities, landscaping and other improvements.
By
Willow Higgins
News
The Bronx is getting a new casino and a reimagined Ferry Point Park, too
Here's a look at designs for a redeveloped park, including new amenities, landscaping and other improvements.
By
Willow Higgins
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman spar over immigration, cost of living in debate
By
Jon Campbell
Manhattan neurologist charged with sexually abusing 2 patients, DA says
By
Giulia Heyward
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .