New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is pushing for low-level crimes like drinking alcohol in public and urinating in the street to be treated like parking violations.
But Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio have blasted the Council's plans.
"We are examining ways in which we can expand the use of summons and desk appearance tickets," Mark-Viverito told an audience at the National Action Network in Harlem,
according to MyFoxNY.com.
The City Council is considering two bills aimed at decriminalizing certain simple crimes, including bicycling on a sidewalk, loitering in a park after dark, littering, and making excessive noise.
The Rev. Al Sharpton claims that punishment for minor offenses leads to conflict between local communities and law enforcement agencies. "Until police understand mutual respect, we will continue having these tensions" he said.
But, according to MyFoxNY.com, Bratton and de Blasio say no matter how minor the crime, it should still be processed like any other crimes.
"It limits the ability of police officers in this city to do their job" Bratton said, adding that punishing low-level crimes prevents more serious criminal acts.
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