Assaults on NYPD cops have skyrocketed to “unprecedented levels,” surging 41% so far this year compared to last and 60% since 2019, data obtained by The Post show.
So far this year, 1,975 officers have been assaulted while on the job in the city, compared to 1,763 at the same point in 2023.
The number of attacks on cops has risen for five straight years, and now dwarfs the number of assaults recorded in pre-pandemic 2019, when 1,253 were logged.
Cops believe the shocking trend reflects a growing disrespect for cops, and a building sentiment among criminals that fighting a cop will go unpunished.
“Years ago, you had to be really crazy to fight cops,” said a longtime NYPD officer. “Now it’s open season for everyone — the protestors, the migrants, even the regular career criminals.”
Criminals know they won’t face consequences for hitting a cop, said the veteran, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn’t cleared to speak to the media.
“Everyone knows that they can attack cops and violently resist and get out the same day,” the cop said. “And if they don’t get out, some activist group will show up and pay their bail. The whole city is upside down.”
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry echoed the observation: “They think they can take a swing at a cop and get away with it, because they believe the justice system is on their side.
“We’re starting to see a change when we turn out for these cases in court, but the consequences for attacking police officers need to come much faster so that the message trickles down to the streets.”
NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri said this week attacks on cops are pushing up the number of overall assaults in the city, which have seen a 5% increase, with 22,806 so far this year compared to 21,712 at this point in 2023, police data show.
“Police officers in New York City are more engaged than they ever have been,” LiPetri said, noting crime against cops was at “unprecedented levels.”
“They’re engaging with individuals that quite frankly should not be walking around the streets of New York City,” he said. “They’re dangerous and they’re assaulting New York City police officers.”
In one caught-on-camera assault, Police Officer Mary Fay was left with blood running down her face after she tried to break up an Aug. 1 fight between a brute and a group of kids in the Bronx.
After allegedly hitting her, repeat offender Ernst Delma, 41, was tackled by other cops at the corner of Randall and Rosedale Avenues in Clason Point.
A longtime Bronx cop called for a mandatory minimum sentence for assaulting a cop.
“I think anybody that assaults a police officer should do a minimum of a year in jail,” the cop said.
“I’ve always said that we are the last line of defense,” the officer added. “Even if I wasn’t a cop, I would feel the same way, like your parents always taught you never be disrespectful to the cops. These people just don’t care.”
