Dramatic crime videos become common in NYC
NEW YORK - If you commit a crime in New York City, there's a high probability that it will be caught on camera. The NYPD is releasing disturbing surveillance videos almost every day.
But is it having any kind of impact when it comes to catching or deterring criminals?
Who could forget the horrific shooting on a Bronx street when two children were caught between a gunman and his target? He kept firing despite the children being in his way.
In another crime, a woman was kicked from behind as she walked down the steps of the Queens Plaza Subway Station in Long Island City. She was hit over the head with a hammer as many as 13 times as she was shoved to the ground and robbed.
There have been several recent videos of moped-riding robbers on the streets of New York.
And even home robbery suspects. In one recent video, a man was seen running up to the victim at her front door and pointing a gun at her waist.
Dr. Darrin Porcher, a former NYPD lieutenant says, "We are under siege and we desperately need the help from law enforcement to eradicate the threats of violence that are plaguing our society here in the city of New York."
It's no secret that the city is plagued by violence and headline after headline is getting to some New Yorkers who don't feel safe walking the streets.
"Oftentimes when we see a video sensationalizes the event. However, bear in mind the city of New York is experiencing a meteoric rise…has escalated to a 37% increase in crime," Porcher says. "Any and everything needs to be done to gain precipitous drops in crime to allow us a better component of public safety. So when we see these incidents, such as people being robbed at gunpoint, is something that really creates a situation for us as common citizens. The thinking is we're in a state of emergency."
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Crime is up in almost every category.
Meanwhile, surveillance cameras are everywhere, recording 24/7. Yet, some criminals don't seem to care.
But Porcher says it's been proven that the videos and photos that lead to an arrest.
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"When we go back to the early 2000s, we had a mantra, 'see something, say something.' That's the police department's way of utilizing their greatest resource, which is the eight and a half million residents that reside in the city of New York, Porcher says. "When we have the public working that symbiotic relationship with police, it allows and affords the transfer of information to bring violent criminals into custody."