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NYPD Officers Reassigned From Traffic Congestion And Homeless Outreach Units To Combat Gun Violence

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Kaylee Greenlee Immigration and Extremism Reporter
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New York police units handling traffic congestion and homeless outreach have been disbanded and the officers assigned to work on gun violence prevention, the New York Post reported.

The New York Police Department’s Traffic Congestion Mitigation Unit and its 114 officers were labeled “redundant” and dissolved as of 1 a.m. Friday,  a NYPD spokesperson told the Post. About 85 officers in the NYPD homeless outreach unit were reassigned after Democratic New York Mayor Bill de Blasio decided police were not responsible for handling that, according to the Post.

Since June 8, nearly 400 shootings have occurred in New York City, according to NBC New York. To target high crime areas, the NYPD started the End Gun Violence plan, NBC reported.

Some transportation advocates were against traffic congestion enforcement by NYPD, the Post reported. Traffic Enforcement Agents who issue parking tickets were unaffected, the Post reported.

“I don’t doubt for a moment the commitment of the NYPD and I just see these things differently than some of the advocates do. Traffic enforcement, I think, does belong in the NYPD,” de Blasio said on Thursday, the Post reported.

The roughly 200 officers have all been reassigned to contain gun violence in other precincts, according to a NYPD spokesperson, the Post reported. (RELATED: Upstate NY Police Union Tells Officers To Steer Clear Of NYC After Police Reform)

The homeless outreach unit included 92 officers, 25 sergeant supervisors and three detectives who will be assigned new roles, CBS New York reported. New York City’s Health Department has offered positions to several medical nurses who were part of the unit.

The plan moves officers from tourist spots since tourism has decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic, NBC reported.

The NYPD and de Blasio did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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