US

NYC Mayor Meets With Police Unions To Defuse Tensions

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Font Size:

In the hopes of addressing growing tensions with officers, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, met Tuesday with police union officials.

The city’s police have been at odds recently with de Blasio for his support of protesters critical of police. Police unions have even gone as far as to accuse the mayor of helping to foster an anti-police atmosphere.

The New York Times reported that along with de Blasio and union officials, Police Commissioner William J. Bratton and other senior department leaders also attended the meeting.

Pat Lynch, president of Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, told reporters after the meeting, “There were a number of discussions, especially about the safety issues our members face. There was no resolve [resolution] and our thought here today is that actions speak louder than words and time will tell.”

The hostility has recently boiled over into violence. Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were ambushed and shot dead by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who said he was avenging the deaths Eric Garner and Michael Brown who were both killed by police.

Lynch told reporters that the mayor had blood on his hands following the shootings.

Phil Walzak, the mayor’s spokesman, told News Day, “today’s meeting focused on building a productive dialogue and identifying ways to move forward together.”

“The mayor and police commissioner remain committed to keeping crime in New York City at historically low levels, supporting the brave men and women in uniform who protect us every day, and finding ways to bring police and the community closer together,” Walzak concluded.

“It just seems disingenuous,” an unnamed union official told The New York Times. “It puts us in the position where, theoretically, we could walk in there, they could give us a cup of coffee and a doughnut and say, ‘Get out,’ and still look like they are trying to mend fences.”

Follow Connor on Twitter

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For  licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.