NYPD officers are making 84% more drug arrests per month since Mayor Adams took office

The NYPD is making nearly twice as many narcotics arrests per month since Mayor Eric Adams took office — a strategy police officials say is key to reducing community violence, but that has alarmed public defenders and advocates…

Former police officers said the department places a premium on felony arrests over misdemeanors – especially in specialized narcotics units.

“Getting the felony means you’ve done really good work,” said Jill Snider, a former NYPD officer in the now-dissolved anti-crime and Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit and current adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The outcomes of drug cases can be arbitrary, sometimes hinging on how much time prosecutors have to scrutinize evidence, according to Snider.