A specialized police unit tasked with getting illegal mopeds, ghost cars and unlicensed street vendors off Big Apple streets is shrouded in secrecy, a new report found.
The Patrol Services Bureau Community Response Team (CRT) — formed by top NYPD brass in 2022 to tackle quality-of-life complaints — has no mission statement and is not even mentioned on the department’s website, according to the city’s Department of Investigation report.
The unit led by Chief of Patrol John Chell and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry swelled from 16 initial members to 165 and operates mysteriously citywide, the investigation found.
“The lack of transparency regarding NYPD’s Community Response Team risks non-compliance with the law, ethical breaches, and negative policing outcomes,” DOI Inspector General Jeanene Barrett said Tuesday.
“Since its inception more than two years ago, CRT has expanded significantly, with a team in every Patrol Borough, without a corresponding expansion of publicly available information about the work of this unit.
“The recommendations in this Report encourage the creation of public policies and procedures that will enhance knowledge of and confidence in CRT’s mission, as well as facilitate future oversight,” she added.
Despite the stunning lack of transparency around the unit, the CRT is frequently hailed on social media by Daughtry.
“Day 35: Manhattan residents have spoken loud and clear — unlawful vendors cluttering our streets? Not on our watch!” he wrote Monday, while showing scores of knock-off designer wallets seized by the unit.
“This quality of life issue on 6th Avenue is a regular topic at town hall meetings. But don’t worry — your Community Response Team is on it! Quality streets, quality goods, no more ‘designer’ deals that are too good to be true.”
Investigators also discovered there was no operating guide or written procedures for recruiting officers to the specialized unit.
The department, additionally, was unable to provide investigators with 311 data, which police said they used to track and respond to community complaints.
The findings are the first part of a continuing probe into the unit, the DOI said.
In the next phase, they will investigate discipline among its members.
A spokesperson for the NYPD said the department will examine the report.
“We thank the DOI for its review of the policies and procedures relating to the Community Response Team,” the spokesperson said.
“We look forward to reviewing the report and carefully considering its recommendations.”
