NYPD Commissioner Says No to Soldiers on NYC Streets

By Y.M. Lowy

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch shot down the idea of sending the National Guard to patrol the streets. “They’re trained in a lot of things. Fighting street crime is not one of them,” she said.

This comes as the Trump administration plans to send the National Guard to Chicago, and maybe other cities, too. Tisch worries it could cause confusion and chaos. She doesn’t like the idea of armed soldiers patrolling city streets because she believes that 'militarizing” the city won’t create a good atmosphere, only to cause more crime.

Tisch also pointed out that crime in New York has been going down, including murders and shootings. She says the NYPD already knows how to keep the city safe. “Now is certainly not the time to rock the boat,” she added.

Instead of soldiers, Tisch wants the government to focus on illegal guns coming into the city. Many guns are smuggled from Southern states to New York; a route called the “Iron Pipeline.” She also says more federal prosecutors could help put more gun cases in court, which would actually make a bigger difference in the crime rate in NYC.

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