Politico: NYPD, de Blasio blame bail reform for crime spike as defenders question police stats

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD reported a major spike in crime for the second straight month and doubled down on blaming the jump on bail reform — even as public defenders charged police may be manipulating the stats to push their agenda.

Major crime jumped by 22.5 percent in February compared with the same month last year, police said. For this year so far, crime is up 21 percent over 2019.

“Criminal justice reforms serve as a significant reason New York City has seen this uptick in crime,” the NYPD said in its press release announcing the stats.

The bail law that took effect at the beginning of the year says that people charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies must be released without being required to pay bail. De Blasio has been pushing for changes — currently the subject of a heated debate in Albany and a source of division among Democrats in New York.

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