BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso was critical of Mayor Eric Adams’ new policing strategies Monday, saying that the city is using “moments” to dictate policy instead of “long-term trends.”
His comments came during an appearance on "Mornings On 1" in which he was asked for his thoughts on the mayor's new neighborhood safety teams that are being deployed in high-crime areas.
While Reynoso acknowledged that the issue is "tough," he stressed that he believes there is a public misperception when it comes to crime in Brooklyn.
"We've seen actually a drastic decrease in crimes in Brooklyn, but because of how people receive the news now, every single incident is readily available," he said.
"Instead of responding to data and facts, we're responding to personal anecdotes and personal experience, and that's a problem," Reynoso added. "When you're using moments to dictate policy as opposed to long-term trends, it becomes troublesome."
NY1 has requested comment from City Hall and is awaiting a response.
He said he believes a better strategy would to provide Brooklyn and the rest of the city with adequate mental health services and other resources.
"We're seeing most of these crimes, Pat, they're happening from people that need help," he said.
Reynoso, who was elected to the position in November after previously serving on the City Council for eight years, added that there is also much work to be done to ensure all residents of Brooklyn are able to access public transportation.
Over the next few weeks, the R train will be partially suspended overnights and on weekends for track replacement, and Reynoso said he is planning to use his influence to ensure all residents are taken care of.
"What we want is reliable service in the interim, and we have to note that it's a transit desert out there," Reynoso said. "So we have folks that are going to hospitals, doing the work to protect us from COVID and so forth - to have them have to wait too long or not have a consistent schedule is not what we want to do."
He said he plans to be an advocate for the residents along the R train line and will be in communication with the MTA to get the work done swiftly and efficiently.