New York police are loosening up — at least when it comes to drinking alcohol and urinating on the street.
From next Monday, petty offenders will no longer be arrested or prosecuted in Manhattan for minor misdeeds such as public consumption of alcohol, public urination or putting your feet on the seat in the subway. Officials say the city is introducing the reform to give police more time to focus on serious crime — following an increase in homicides, gang-motivated shootings, rape and robbery in 2015. Overall crime fell 1.7% in the largest US city, but major crime rose 3% in Manhattan in 2015, albeit up from an historic low in 2014.
“Today’s reforms allow our hardworking police officers to concentrate their efforts on the narrow group of individuals driving violent crime in New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.