(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is renewing criticism of those who want to eliminate the NYPD’s gang database, saying the list helped identify suspects in a recent Times Square assault on police officers.
In a briefing to reporters Tuesday, Adams said the five suspects arrested in connection with the assault have been linked to those involved with a migrant gang dubbed Los Diablos, a subset of Tren de Aragua — the Venezuelan gang targeted by President Donald Trump as part of his mass deportation efforts. He said the alleged attackers, ages 12-19, specifically targeted the two officers.
But Adams said the suspects wouldn’t be in custody if it weren’t for the NYPD’s gang database, which helped authorities identify them. He slammed New York City Council members and others who want to eliminate it.
“Whose side are you on?” Adams, a Democrat, said at Tuesday’s briefing. “Are you on the side of those who surrounded in that photo, who surrounded an innocent person sitting on that train, or are you on the side of those who are surrounding him? I know the side I’m on.”
Legislation filed by Bronx Democrat Althea Stevens would abolish the NYPD’s Criminal Group Database and prohibit police officers from accessing the files, which would ultimately be destroyed.
Backers of the proposal, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, argue that the database is discriminatory, leading to increased surveillance of minority neighborhoods and police encounters.
Meanwhile, civil liberties groups plan to sue the NYPD over its use of the database, arguing that blacks and Latino individuals make up 99% of the index and are “unfairly targeted” based on their race.
NYPD officials said the assault on the two officers started when they responded to an attempted “wolf pack style robbery” in Times Square during a boxing event. They were “ambushed, pelted with scooters, basketballs and other makeshift weapons” according to the NYPD, which said it is seeking other suspects in the attack. The officers weren’t seriously injured, authorities said.
But Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch echoed Adams’ criticism, saying it “absolutely defies common sense” that the City Council and others are trying to abolish the database, which contains the names and details of about 16,000 alleged gang members.
“This database is one of the most critical tools that we have to protect our cops and to protect our communities,” Tisch said at Tuesday’s briefing. “It helped us identify who they were, who they ran with, and what they were tied to fast. You can’t fight organized violence with blindfolds on, and without this tool, we’d lose the edge that keeps our city safe.”
“We need our City Council to stop legislating against our cops and to start legislating for public safety,” she added.
