Mayor Eric Adams.
Credit score: Ed Reed/Mayoral Images Workplace.
All of us need to take pleasure in a fantastic high quality of life within the best metropolis on the earth — but it surely’s the on a regular basis issues that matter. New Yorkers don’t need to reside with extreme noise, unlawful parking, homelessness-related points, outside drug use, aggressive panhandling, and all the opposite points which have risen steadily throughout the 5 boroughs over the past six years.
That’s why the Adams administration is tackling these issues head on with our new NYPD High quality of Life Division. This can be a citywide public security initiative targeted on enhancing belief between communities and the police, whereas addressing on a regular basis considerations that affect New Yorkers’ sense of security and well-being. We would like our streets to really feel and be orderly and protected for all New Yorkers, particularly our households and kids.
The High quality of Life Division will start operations with a pilot program in 5 precincts and one housing Police Service Space. These instructions could have localized, precinct-based groups — referred to as Q-Groups. The groups are made up of officers who’ve already solid relationships with their communities and have had further coaching on resolving quality-of-life circumstances — as soon as and for all. To be clear, that is under no circumstances a return to “broken-windows” policing. Our Q-Group officers will enhance high quality of life for everybody, making our neighborhoods extra livable — and can accomplish this vital job whereas working hand-in-hand with neighbors.
The Q-Group pilot program is modeled after CompStat — a system that makes use of real-time knowledge to find out the place police focus their efforts and holds precinct commanders accountable. This tried-and-true methodology — pioneered in New York Metropolis greater than 30 years in the past — is now getting used everywhere in the world. We are going to use knowledge to trace and sort out quality-of-life points as they happen and focus our consideration accordingly.
The High quality of Life Division builds on our current achievements in decreasing crime throughout New York Metropolis. Due to our administration’s steadfast concentrate on public security, now we have now had 5 straight quarters of reducing crime — since January 1, 2024 — and we’re shattering crime report after crime report. The primary three months of the 12 months noticed the bottom variety of shootings in our metropolis’s recorded historical past. And New York Metropolis moreover noticed the second fewest variety of homicides in recorded historical past. Transit crime additionally decreased by double digits and are on the lowest ranges in historical past, if you happen to take away one 12 months of the pandemic.
We’re making historic strides in making our streets and subways safer, however we all know to make New York Metropolis the perfect place to boost a household, we should additionally make it simpler for our kids to reach faculties. Including extra academics in our faculties to offer extra individualized care to our college students is among the finest methods to assist them be taught, so we’re hiring 3,700 further academics at 750 public faculties throughout the 5 boroughs for the 2025-2026 faculty 12 months. The most effective a part of all of it: these plans have been created by faculties for faculties — empowering our principals and academics to create programs that work finest for his or her college students in order that they’ll excel.
Our new class sizes are capped at 20 college students per grade for grades Okay-3, 23 college students per grade for grades 4-8, 25 college students for grades 9-12, and 40 college students for performing teams and bodily schooling courses. We’re dedicated to making sure that, by the approaching faculty 12 months, not less than 60 p.c of our courses could have these smaller class sizes.
And we’re asserting the additional funding early in order that principals have sufficient time to rent high quality academics, and plan for the varsity 12 months that begins this fall.
Protected and clear streets, thriving neighborhoods, bustling transportation programs, and faculties the place kids can get the eye they want to allow them to be taught — these are the issues our administration is delivering to New Yorkers day-after-day, in every single place.