Controversial Plainclothes NYPD Units Coming To Uptown Precinct

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — Controversial plainclothes police units that will be revived under Mayor Eric Adams' sweeping plan to fight gun violence will head to Washington Heights and Inwood's 34th Precinct.

The Upper Manhattan precinct was confirmed Tuesday to Patch as part of the 30 New York City commands that will get the anti-crime units, which were previously disbanded under Mayor Bill de Blasio during a reckoning on police brutality in 2020.

The 34th Precinct stretches from around West 179th Street through the northernmost point of Inwood.

The 33rd Precinct in Washington Heights will not be adding the plainclothes officers.

Nearby, though, Harlem's 23rd 25th, 28th, and 32nd Precincts will all be getting the anti-crime units.

Adams said Monday that the new units will focus on 30 precincts that account for 80 percent of the city's gun violence, but his office has not yet confirmed the list, which was first reported by the New York Post.

"Today's announcement gives the community members who live with the legacy of hyper-aggressive policing no comfort that Mayor Adams's Anti-Crime Unit will be different from its predecessors," The Legal Aid Society and other groups said in a joint statement. "The Mayor must focus on addressing long-standing problems with NYPD's culture of impunity before he doubles down on strategies that will only perpetuate the harms of that culture."

Adams contended Monday that changes to the anti-crime units will help address issues from the past, including having them wear more identifiable clothing, though they will still be in unmarked police cars.

"You must have the right training the right mindset, the right disposition and be...emotionally intelligent that you are getting ready to engage with someone on the street," he said.

There are more than 400 cops "in the pipeline" to join the new teams, which Adams said will be put in place in about three weeks.

Here's a look at the list of precincts confirmed Tuesday by the NYPD:

• Manhattan North Precincts: 23, 25, 28, 32 and 34
• Bronx Precincts: 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 52
• Brooklyn South Precincts: 67, 69 and 71
• Brooklyn North Precincts: 73, 75, 77, 79, 81 and 83
• Queens South Precincts: 101, 103, 105 and 113
• Queens North Precinct: 114
• Staten Island Precinct: 120
• Housing Patrol Service Areas: 2, 3, 5 and 7

Patch reporter Anna Quinn contributed to this report.