NYPD’s gang data base needed more than ever: experts

Soft-on-crime City Council members want to delete the NYPD’s Gang Database, despite a surge in gang-affiliated migrants pouring into the Big Apple.

The database, operational since 2013, contains thousands of entries and intel, including distinctive tattoos, considered a vital crime-fighting tool by the NYPD in the war against criminal groups and street gangs.

Left-wing city politicians argue that the database demonizes minorities and are attempting to pass legislation to eliminate it.

South Bronx Councilmember Althea Stevens reintroduced legislation initially proposed by Councilwoman Carlina Rivera in 2022, aiming to eliminate the NYPD’s Criminal Group Database.

Law enforcement experts and the NYPD criticize the legislation as misguided and essential in combating gang violence.

Retired NYPD detective Michael Alcazar and retired NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone emphasize the importance of the database in identifying and tracking criminal groups.

The NYPD defends the database as a crucial tool in understanding and addressing gang-related crimes.

The NYPD ensures the database follows strict rules, undergoes multiple reviews, and is audited to remove inactive individuals.

A Department of Investigation probe found no evidence of harm to those with suspected gang ties due to the database.

As of December 2022, there were 16,141 individuals catalogued in the database, according to the city Department of Investigation’s Inspector General for the NYPD.

Stevens’ bill is currently under review in the Council’s Public Safety Committee.