New York- Today, Mayor Adams announced he would be reintroducing robotic police dogs, after they were dismissed by the previous administration. In response to this announcement, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) released the following statement by Ileana Mendez-Penate, Program Director.
"This latest announcement is just the most recent example of how Mayor Adams allows unmitigated overspending of the NYPD's massively bloated budget. The NYPD is buying robot dogs and other fancy tech while New Yorkers can't access food stamps because city agencies are short-staffed, and New Yorkers are getting evicted because they can't access their right to counsel. The mayor continues to shrink critical city services and programs claiming the city needs to cut back on spending while allowing the NYPD to continue to overspend its budget by millions of dollars. We can't continue to allow this kind of budget impunity for the NYPD that increases their scope and power, we need to invest in housing, education, mental health care and community programs that will keep us safe, not investment in new and expensive technologies to criminalize us further.”
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About Communities United for Police Reform
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) is an unprecedented campaign to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, and to build a lasting movement that promotes public safety and reduces reliance on policing. CPR runs coalitions of over 200 local, statewide and national organizations, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change. The partners in this campaign come from all 5 boroughs, from all walks of life and represent many of those most unfairly targeted by the NYPD.