MIDTOWN — Police Commissioner William Bratton said remarks from Comptroller Scott Stringer that police statistics were "politicized" was an attack for "political purposes."
Stringer, speaking Monday at the Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn, the scene of a triple murder over the weekend, said the city's focus on declining crime statistics did not "trickle down" to the families of those who were killed.
"If you're the mother and a grandmother of a lost child you don't want to hear about statistics anymore," said Stringer who is considered a potential challenger to Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017.
"I call on this administration today to talk about how were going to create problem solving initiatives in our challenged communities rather than talk about statistics that never trickle down to the grandparents, the parents, the children who lose their loved ones on the streets of New York all too often."
In spite of a bloody weekend where at least seven people were murdered across the city, de Blasio has said overall crime is down.
"I would say have faith in the NYPD. I would say, if you look at the facts and the numbers, the NYPD continues to drive down crime," de Blasio said at an unrelated press conference Monday. "We had the safest summer in 20 years, that’s a fact. Overall crime down compared to last year – that’s a fact."
Bratton, speaking after a speech at the Association for a Better New York Tuesday, struck back at Stringer.
“To charge that those numbers are politicized, I’m sorry. I tell it like it is. So I see that as an unnecessary attack for political purposes," said Bratton.
"When that happens, you can attack the mayor all you want, you can attack me all you want, but don’t attack the work of my cops because I’m going to punch back," Bratton said. "That was an unnecessary politicization of something that should not be politicized, and that’s the crime numbers. They are what they are."
It's not the first time that Stringer has tangled with City Hall.
He criticized de Blasio over the roll out of his universal pre-K initiative, saying that his office did not get the contracts quick enough to ensure safety. De Blasio accused Stringer of fearmongering.
Recently, Stringer criticized de Blasio about a plan to place a cap on the growth of e-hail car service Uber, saying it would "cap innovation and cap ingenuity for the sake of same old same old."
In a statement, Stringer, said his comments were aimed at the mayor and not police.
“I have great respect for Commissioner Bratton and the hard-working men and women in blue. But let’s not play the politics of distraction and deflection. My comments yesterday were aimed squarely at the steps of City Hall," Stringer said.
"They reflect what I am hearing from parents and grandparents from all across our city: that statistics alone are cold comfort to communities that face the threat of gun violence – and that a real conversation on real solutions is needed," he added.
Bratton said he was "surprised" at Stringer's remarks because he has a "very good relationship" with the comptroller. But the commissioner also made it clear he saw the remarks as a direct attack on his officers and something that he would not tolerate.
“My obligation as police commissioner is to protect the hard work of my cops," he said. "They work very hard to generate those crime numbers."
