The number of arrests and criminal summonses handled by NYPD officers last week plummeted compared to the same period in 2018 — and law enforcement sources warn it’s the “Pantaleo Effect.’’
Officer Daniel Pantaleo was fired by NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill on Aug. 19 over the 2014 arrest-related death of Eric Garner, enraging police officers and their union leaders, who argue the officer was simply doing his job during an arrest.
Arrests dropped 27% between Aug. 19 — the day Pantaleo was fired — and Aug. 25 compared to the same period in 2018, with police making 3,508 busts compared to 4,827.
The number of criminal summonses issued fell nearly 29% over the same period, going from 1,655 to 1,181, the figures show.
Multiple law enforcement sources told The New York Post that while there is no organized slowdown, officers on the street feel that the department doesn’t have their backs, so why should they needlessly put themselves on the line?
