NYPD: Occupy Wall Street Caused Rise In Gun Crime

Police attention to Occupy Wall Street protesters has left other areas of the city vulnerable. As a result, gun violence has spiked in New York City, according to the New York Police Department.

During the first week of October, the number of shooting victims jumped 154 percent compared to the same week in 2010. The number of people shot rose 28 percent in the past month. In the past week, 22 people received bullet wounds, including three who were gunned down outside a Brooklyn school.

Police say the increase is due to the drain on already-stretched resources dealing with the Occupy Wall Street movement that's primarily been based in Zucotti Park. Since the protesters moved in on September 17, a strong police presence has been maintained by the NYPD's special units and on march days, as many as 3,000 officers, or approximately 10 percent of the total force, are drafted to keep the peace.

"Normally, the task force is used in high-crime neighborhoods where you have a lot of shootings and robberies," one source told the New York Post. "They are always used when there are spikes in crime as a quick fix. But instead of being sent to Jamaica, Brownsville and the South Bronx, they are in Wall Street."

Source: New York Post