What do you expect, after you've defunded the police?

 

Clearly, the liberals and progressives who've embraced defunding and inhibiting the police and other emergency services didn't think about how - or whether - they would be able to do their jobs with less funding.

New York City first responders are taking longer to get to fires, medical emergencies and crimes in progress.

Critics blamed the potential deadly surge in response times on serious staffing shortages in the NYPD and FDNY.

As the Police Department continues to deal with spikes in major crimes and a mass exodus of cops, response times to all “crimes in progress” during the past fiscal year ending June 30 increased from 11 minutes and 40 seconds to 12 minutes and 44 seconds – or 9.1%, according to Mayor Adams’ first management report.

In fiscal 2019, which predated the COVID-19 pandemic and the many new challenges it to brought citywide, the average response time was 9 minutes and 55 seconds.

The Fiscal 2022 Mayor’s Management Report released late Friday – which covers the highs and lows of all city agencies during the final six months of ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and the first six of Adams’ – also highlighted a serious uptick specifically in response times to armed robberies, burglaries and other “critical crimes.”

Cops on average responded off 911 calls to these crimes in 8 minutes and 26 seconds, compared to 7 minutes and 52 seconds a year ago.  In fiscal 2019, they arrived on average in 6 minutes and 38 seconds after a 911 dispatcher fielded the call for help.  

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who chairs the fire and emergency management committee, blamed de Blasio’s progressive policies for helping nudge many cops who felt “disrespected” into early retirement and leaving the NYPD short-staffed.

“We need to fix this because without public safety, you have nothing,” she said Saturday. “People’s lives are in danger.”

Combined response times by FDNY ambulances and fire companies to “life-threatening medical emergencies” were up 46 seconds on average in fiscal 2022 – or 8.7% — to 9 minutes and 30 seconds, the report says.

There's more at the link.

It's important to realize that emergency responders - police, ambulance, fire, etc. - are all interconnected in responding to a crisis.  If you're shot during a street holdup, you don't only need the cops to protect you, but also an ambulance to get you to treatment as quickly as possible, and possibly the fire department to clear wreckage and/or fight fires caused by the incident.  It's surprising how often all three services are needed.

Now, look at the times concerned.  An "average response time" of 12¾ minutes doesn't say much in and of itself;  but if you've been shot two or three times, and are bleeding steadily on the sidewalk, that much delay might make the difference between living and dying.  Worse, in a violent assault or rape case, how much damage do you think a motivated attacker can do in that much time?  I have personally witnessed a rioter kill another man with a broken piece of brick in less than 12 seconds from start to finish - rushing up, grabbing the brick off the ground, avoiding a defensive kick and blow from his victim, and slamming the brick brutally onto his head three times in rapid succession, as hard as he could.  The victim was dead by the time EMS arrived.  In fact, I think he was dead before his body hit the ground.  (His attacker then turned on someone else - but that person was armed, and stopped the attack right there.  He survived uninjured.  His attacker did not.)

This report concerned New York City, but there are many like it concerning other American cities.  Do your own research into average response times by police, fire and EMS in your area over the past few years.  Look into the rise in crime rates across the nation.  I'm willing to bet you won't find an improvement in your area - rather the opposite.

Tucker Carlson addresses the issue.

Again and again and again I've urged readers to get out of cities.  This illustrates why I've said that so often.  It's not going to get any better;  in fact, I foresee it getting much, much worse in the immediate future.  In fact, the murder rate in major US cities already outpaces Ukraine's recorded civilian death rate.  Another report notes that "Murders rose 5% in 2021 compared to 2020; 44% compared to 2019".  Don't wait for that to get worse.

Plan to move, now, while you still can.  If you can't, or if you have to visit a particularly violent and crime-ridden city, start figuring out how to avoid becoming a victim of crime, and/or how you will defend yourself against those who see you as prey - because if you don't or can't, you will become their prey.

Peter