Lefty city comptroller and mayoral hopeful Brad Lander — who once pushed a $1 billion “defund the police” cut to the NYPD — is changing his tune on fighting crime.
Lander unveiled a public safety “blueprint” Tuesday that promises, if elected, to recruit and retain more cops, crack down on gun violence and keep Jessica Tisch as the NYPD’s commissioner.
The plan’s willingness to throw more cops at crime contrasts with Lander’s long history of pushing progressive police reforms, a shift that he acknowledged.
“I think progressives, myself included, were slow to respond to the elevation of crime and disorder that came through and out of the pandemic and that has given us many of the challenges that we’re dealing with today in all these areas, in gun violence and mental health and homelessness, in retail theft and hate violence,” he said during a news conference detailing his public safety pitch.
“So, this is a strategy to confront the issues that I hear from New Yorkers in all five boroughs every single day, and that’s what I’m running for mayor to do.”
As Lander pursued his campaign for mayor, the Brooklyn Democrat — who previously held Bill de Blasio’s seat on the City Council repping Park Slope — has shed or moderated many of his past positions.
He has also been a persistent critic and thorn in Mayor Eric Adams’ side, charging Tuesday that Hizzoner “allowed cronyism and corruption at the highest ranks to weaken the NYPD.”
But even as Lander lambasted Adams for police department woes, rising crime and what he said were repeated funding cuts to “critical city programs that keep our neighborhoods stable,” he did implicitly give him credit for hiring Tisch — who’s the fourth top cop during the mayor’s first term.
Tisch, who was sworn in in November, showed her ability to get results during her past stints with the NYPD and as sanitation commissioner, Lander said.
“That’s why I am not at all surprised that in the three months that she’s been commissioner, she’s done the same — making changes in leadership, setting clear expectations and rebuilding trust at One Police Plaza and out in the precincts across New York City,” he said. “As a result, crime is down over the past three months.”
Lander also pledged to appoint a new deputy mayor for public safety — a role that Adams revived, with controversial results.
He said he’d use that role to bridge gaps between law enforcement and health agencies.
City Hall spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak Altus snarkily said that Lander is at long last giving Adams credit.
“Last I checked, Brad Lander wanted to defund the police, but we’re happy to hear the comptroller is finally admitting @NYCMayor has been making good decisions, especially ones that have led to a decrease in crime citywide, both above and below ground,” she quipped in a post on X.
Lander, when asked about changing his support in for cutting $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget in 2020, argued he also previously backed adding cops to the department’s ranks.
He contended the NYPD’s overtime problem is in part because the roughly 33,470 cops on the force are well under the department’s budgeted headcount of 35,051 full time positions,
“That’s one place where I think we’ll actually see savings as we get up to budgeted head count, and much more strategically placed as well,” he said.
The plan outlined by Lander calls to bring the NYPD up to its fully budgeted officer positions in part by opening cadet program to high school graduates without college credits, who can start while enrolling at CUNY or another partner college.
He also called to stem the 305% rise in retirements by supporting a state pension bill designed to sweeten the pot for detectives and other experienced officers who stay past 20 years.
But some cops and police union leaders weren’t fully buying Lander’s pitch.
“We’re glad that our city’s leaders are now focused on fixing the NYPD’s staffing crisis. However, a permanent solution will require more than a few tweaks,” said Police Benevolent Association Patrick Hendry in a statement.
“We need a complete overhaul of the environment cops are working in. Right now, police officers and recruits know that they can find less second-guessing and demonization, a more humane workload and better benefits in any other policing job in New York State,” he said, while adding, “We’re willing to work with anyone who acknowledges all of those problems and puts forward real solutions.”
NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent J. Vallelong added in a statement: “There is no better violence interrupter than legally gathering intelligence, followed by vigorous enforcement.”
“The NYPD does their part, despite their efforts being constantly thwarted and criticized by the meddling of the City Council and mayoral candidates like Mr. Lander,” he charged. “The NYPD has the tools to drive down gun violence. Things would be much more effective and safer for everyone if Mr. Lander did his job and let the police do theirs without unrelenting resistance and withering criticism.”
One law-enforcement source quipped of Lander: “A notorious cop-hater cares about us? Shocking.”
“How about we start with the Tier 2 pension, legislation that doesn’t make cops the enemy and a work environment that doesn’t kill us slowly?”
Another source scoffed at Lander’s idea to making recruitment a pathway to a college degree.
“These ideas aren’t going to solve any of this,” the source said. “It will take serious self-reflection by Lander to come realize his politics caused all of this.”
— Additional reporting by Joe Marino
