New York City Mayor Eric Adams told a news conference on Monday that he would implement an aggressive plan to end gun violence in the city, following the fatal shooting of a police officer and a spate of violent crimes.
Adams, a former police officer, said the plan would deliver on a pledge he made during his campaign by deploying more police officers, stemming the flow of guns into the city, and appointing anti-gun violence coordinators in every city agency.
"We are turning our pain into purpose," he said.
Adams' announcement came in the wake of a series of highly publicized, lethal crimes in New York City that have occurred in the weeks since he was sworn in on Jan. 1.
Two police officers were shot in Harlem on Friday while responding to a domestic violence call, leaving one dead and the other in critical condition. Two other police officers were shot in separate incidents last week in other parts of the city.
The "Blueprint to End Gun Violence" will within three weeks put more police officers on patrol in 30 precincts where 80% of the city's violence takes place, according to Adams. He said the officers will be identifiable as New York Police Department employees, and will have body-worn cameras and "enhanced" training and oversight.
A former police captain and Brooklyn borough president, Adams, a Democrat, won November's mayoral election on a platform that promised to improve public safety through investment in more aggressive policing.
His stance alienated some progressive Democrats because it clashed with the "defund the police" rallying cry heard at protests against racism and police brutality since 2020. But it echoed calls for tougher policing from Democratic mayoral candidates across the country in 2021, who feared being painted as soft on crime by Republican opponents.