Public Safety Policy Plan

BLAKE’S PUBLIC SAFETY POLICY PLAN

Vision:

Michael Blake’s vision for public safety is grounded in a fundamental truth: you can’t have true safety without housing, mental health, trust, and equity. For too long, communities of color have been over-policed, under-protected, and displaced from the neighborhoods they helped build. Public safety isn’t just about law enforcement, it’s about dignity, stability, and a city that serves everyone. Blake’s plan aims to restore the social contract between people and government, where protection is built on fairness, equity, and inclusion. True safety requires investing in systems that create opportunity, strengthen mental health infrastructure, and empower communities through economic stability and justice. Without trust and equity, no amount of policing will make our communities feel truly safe.

This Public Safety Plan centers the people who keep our city running: sanitation workers, teachers, small business owners, and families. They deserve neighborhoods that are affordable, welcoming, and secure. Their well-being is inseparable from how safe our streets feel and how policies reflect their needs. That’s why Blake is committed to bold reforms that reinvest in affordable housing, mental health care, and community-led solutions. Public safety must uplift, not criminalize our most vulnerable residents. It is not a single program, but a coordinated system of investments, services, and accountability rooted in trust, transparency, and shared prosperity.

COMMUNITY-BASED SAFETY THAT WORKS

Public safety and affordable housing go hand in hand. When people can afford to live in the communities where they work, serve, and raise families, our city becomes safer, stronger, and more connected. Stable housing reduces stress, strengthens family bonds, and gives young people hope for the future. Housing security gives residents the breathing room to focus on their well-being, education, and civic engagement. Stability keeps families rooted, schools consistent, and communities vibrant.

Key Policy Actions:

Blake will pass a new tax break to support middle-income homeowners and renters, reducing financial pressure on the people who keep New York running, from first responders to nurses and teachers. This tax relief will be targeted and progressive, providing real savings for everyday New Yorkers. It also incentivizes long-term residency and discourages speculative displacement.
Through his comprehensive housing plan, Blake will reduce housing instability by indexing wages to the real cost of living, freezing rent stabilized units, reforming the Area-Median Income (AMI) to reflect neighborhood-level salaries, and by developing thousands of affordable and supportive housing units.
Blake will establish a permanent Immigrant Services Director to ensure legal support, language access, and business resources for immigrant New Yorkers. This role will work across agencies to remove systemic barriers facing immigrants and improve their access to justice and opportunity. Immigrants are essential to New York’s fabric, and their safety must be non-negotiable.

MENTAL HEALTH AS THE FOUNDATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Public safety begins with mental health. A person in crisis needs support and care, not a criminal record or a baton. When we lead with compassion, we save lives and rebuild trust. Blake will lead the way by prioritizing a citywide shift from over-policing to care-first intervention.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Yorkers have witnessed a rise in heartbreaking and random acts of violence—many involving individuals living on the streets and subways with serious mental illness. These moments demand not fear, but action rooted in compassion. An estimated 2,000 New Yorkers with serious mental illness are cycling through our streets, subways, jails, and hospitals. With the right infrastructure, this is a solvable crisis. Blake will lead with a care-first approach, building a stronger, more coordinated system to support those most at risk—before a crisis becomes a tragedy. Below is a summary of our public safety plan grounded in mental health care.

Key Policy Actions:

Hire, train, and deploy up to 1,000 mental health professionals—including peer specialists, social workers, and licensed clinicians—to proactively engage individuals experiencing mental health challenges or street homelessness in our subways, transit system and other public spaces. Embed these professionals in 911 response teams and alongside police patrols, ensuring that whenever possible, mental health experts—not law enforcement—take the lead in responding to crises. This approach reduces unnecessary police involvement and delivers the compassionate, specialized care people in crisis deserve.
- To address the critical shortage of mental health professionals in the public sector, the City must significantly increase salaries for these roles. By raising wages and offering competitive benefits, we can build a robust pipeline of qualified professionals committed to public service, ensure continuity of care, and strengthen the City’s capacity to respond to the mental health needs of our most vulnerable residents.
- Enhance coordination across existing city agency and nonprofit outreach programs to improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and maximize impact. As recommended in Vital City, establish a joint City-State management taskforce with a unified governance structure to streamline implementation, ensure data-driven decision-making, and deliver consistent, high-quality services to individuals in need. This unified approach will strengthen accountability, close service gaps, and advance long-term solutions for those experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness.
- Ensure all professionals receive training in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care.
Establish diversion intake hubs within the MTA system to respond to visible signs of mental illness and serious quality-of-life concerns. These hubs would be staffed by trained mental health professionals and serve as immediate points of intervention—offering assessments, crisis stabilization, and direct connections to a wide range of City and State services, including housing, healthcare, and social support. By embedding care-first resources directly into the transit system, we can improve public safety, and ensure individuals in crisis are met with support and dignity.
Expand the Fountain House model of membership-based housing to support more individuals living with serious mental illness. This approach offers stable housing alongside wraparound services—such as mental health care, job support, and life skills—in a positive, peer-supported community. Scaling this model can help people achieve greater stability, reduce reliance on emergency services, and foster long-term well-being.
Implement involuntary commitment protocols for individuals with severe mental illness or addiction who pose a danger to themselves or others, ensuring civil liberties are respected. Protocols will be designed with safeguards, medical oversight, and periodic review. The goal is not punishment, but timely stabilization and protection.
Increase funding to Overdose Prevention Centers, drawing down from Opioid Settlement Funds. These centers save lives and connect people to long-term recovery resources. Using settlement funds ensures we are holding corporations accountable while directly helping those harmed.
Expand the number of outpatient therapeutic units to provide treatment and supervision for individuals with serious mental illness who have committed low-level offenses and would not benefit from incarceration at Rikers Island. With nearly 40% of the Rikers population living with a diagnosed mental illness, it’s clear the jail is serving as a de facto mental health institution—often to the detriment of both individuals and public safety. Community-based therapeutic alternatives offer a more effective, humane approach by addressing the root causes of behavior, reducing recidivism, and helping people stabilize and rebuild their lives outside the criminal justice system.

STRATEGIC POLICING REFORM

Policing must be about transparency, deterrence, and respect, not fear or budget bloat. That starts with rebalancing how we allocate resources, recruit officers, and track performance. Reform means building systems that reward prevention, not overreach.

Key Policy Actions:

Return NYPD staffing to pre-pandemic levels to help decrease excessive overtime costs, cut fiscal waste, and strengthen public safety. Incentivize recruitment and retention by refocusing the role on its core mission: ensuring community safety. At the same time, expand the use of mental health professionals to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises, allowing officers to concentrate on issues that truly require a law enforcement response, and ensuring they are not perceived to be the sole answer to all of society’s complex challenges.
Civilianize non-enforcement roles within the NYPD—such as administrative, clerical, and traffic enforcement functions—so that trained officers can focus on core public safety duties like patrol and investigations, while creating new civilian job opportunities and improving overall efficiency.
Implement stronger oversight and accountability over the NYPD’s $1.4 billion overtime budget, and redirect excess or unnecessary spending into youth employment programs, affordable housing, and community health initiatives.
Ensure every officer is continually trained in de-escalation and equipped with body cameras that are always turned on. Body cameras increase accountability and reduce false claims.
Expand walking patrols in high-crime areas using Precision Policing — data-informed deployment, deep community partnerships, and culturally competent service delivery — to deter violence and build trust.
Implementing Culture Change from the Ground Up: Lasting reform requires more than training—it demands a shift in culture at every level of the NYPD, starting at the precinct level, through individualized coaching and professional development with a focus on mid-level leaders. To succeed, these efforts must also address officer wellness and sustainable workloads, especially regarding mandatory overtime.
Expand access to Detective and Sergeant promotional exams to support the professional development of dedicated officers, reduce attrition, and strengthen leadership within the NYPD. Clear and equitable pathways for advancement not only reward good work but also help build a more effective, motivated, and diverse police force.
Equip Peace Officers in NYCHA and other targeted areas with training, response tools, and a dedicated 3- or 4-digit mental health emergency number.

REDUCING RECIDIVISM and IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted social and economic norms, straining public systems and altering the fabric of daily life in New York City. With widespread job loss, school closures, and reduced access to essential services, many vulnerable communities faced deepening instability. At the same time, shifts in policing priorities, reduced court operations, and fewer in-person interventions created gaps in service provision and accountability. These disruptions contributed to a noticeable rise in shoplifting, fare evasion, and other public order concerns, as both need and opportunity increased. The pandemic exposed and exacerbated systemic weaknesses, underscoring the urgent need for holistic, coordinated responses as well as initiatives designed specifically to reduce recidivism and improve our quality of life.

Rikers Island must be closed. Under Blake’s leadership, New York will move to borough-based housing for justice-involved individuals with meaningful programming focused on education, mental health, and job training. This approach humanizes rehabilitation while reducing the harms of incarceration. Smaller, localized facilities also strengthen family connections and community oversight.
- Rikers Island is marked by high rates of violence and inconsistent access to essential services, creating an environment that deepens trauma rather than supports rehabilitation. This chronic exposure to violence and instability elevates stress levels, often triggering reactive or impulsive behavior. When individuals leave Rikers without stable housing, supportive services, or a clear path forward, the cycle too often continues—fueling some of the city’s highest recidivism rates.
Develop borough-based reentry hubs to provide services to returning citizens, decrease recidivism and increase public safety. Every month, hundreds of individuals are released from Rikers and upstate prisons without access to stable housing, employment opportunities, or ongoing mental health care. This lack of support creates a cycle that fuels recidivism and compromises public safety. To break this cycle, the City must establish comprehensive reentry hubs that connect returning citizens to a network of care—including peer navigators, job training programs, continuous mental health services, and, whenever possible, supportive and subsidized housing. These hubs will provide the critical resources and stability needed to rebuild lives and foster safer communities.
Monitor the impact of the latest discovery reforms to ensure defendants receive evidence promptly and fairly. Additionally, track misdemeanor case outcomes—including domestic violence charges and recidivist shoplifting —to prevent an excessive number of dismissals and uphold accountability while maintaining due process.
Collaborate with Albany to ensure individuals with high recidivism rates receive appropriate consequences to deter continued crimes, while addressing root causes.
Expand the Manhattan Court-based Navigators program to all five boroughs to ensure that individuals arrested are promptly connected to critical services at the point of arraignment. Wherever possible, link these individuals to supportive housing opportunities—building on successful models like the Fortune Society’s work in Manhattan—to promote stability, reduce recidivism, and support long-term reentry success.
Reduce shoplifting by targeting the underlying incentives that fuel theft—specifically, the ease of reselling stolen goods through third-party vendors online and unregulated street vendors. Strengthen oversight by conducting regular inspections of street vending operations and working with online marketplaces to flag suspicious listings, enforce seller verification, and improve traceability.
- Make it easier for businesses to report theft by streamlining the process and improving systems for sharing incident data and surveillance footage with law enforcement. Provide support to Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and individual retailers in redesigning store layouts and security measures to deter theft—such as improved lighting, strategic product placement, and use of deterrent technologies. These combined efforts will strengthen partnerships between merchants and public safety agencies, enhance prevention, and ensure quicker, more effective responses to retail crime.

Establish hyper-local, neighborhood-based quality-of-life task forces—modeled after successful efforts like the Midtown Community Coalition—that bring together law enforcement, local businesses, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), mental health providers, and homeless outreach teams. These collaborative groups would work in close coordination to improve service delivery, enhance public safety through strategic deterrence, and implement beautification and placemaking projects. By fostering strong local partnerships and tailored responses, these task forces can address community-specific challenges with compassion, accountability, and long-term impact.

PREVENTION, NOT JUST RESPONSE

Prevention must be the cornerstone of any serious public safety strategy. Reactive measures alone cannot break cycles of violence, poverty, or trauma. True safety is built when we invest in people and places before harm occurs through jobs, education, and community trust.

Key Policy Actions:

Scale up year-round municipal jobs and paid internships for youth under 25, with increased wages and career development opportunities, recognizing that meaningful employment is one of the most effective tools for preventing crime and promoting long-term stability. Prioritize placements in city agencies, cultural institutions, and community organizations, with a focus on equity and access for youth from under-resourced neighborhoods.
Strengthen efforts to remove illegal firearms from our streets by prioritizing the identification and seizure of ghost guns, bump stocks, and other untraceable or modified weapons. Crack down on the growing threat of 3D-printed firearms by supporting legislation that bans the sale and possession of gun parts specifically designed for 3D printing and requires online vendors
Expand Cure Violence and other violence interruption programs in neighborhoods with high recidivism and limited opportunity, while deploying hospital-based responders to prevent retaliation and connect victims to care. Invest in restorative justice initiatives and evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy programs like Becoming a Man, which reduced violent crime arrests among participants in Chicago by up to 45%, by promoting emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and behavioral change.

HATE CRIMES PREVENTION

In the wake of the pandemic and the October 7th attack, hate crimes in New York City have surged to alarming levels—reaching 669 reported incidents in 2023 alone. This includes a staggering 73% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes and the targeting of Jewish New Yorkers in 65% of all felony hate crime cases. These statistics reflect not isolated incidents but a broader, dangerous rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, anti-Latino sentiment, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination that threaten the fabric of our city. To respond with both urgency and care, we must continue to fund and expand comprehensive efforts to prevent hate violence and support survivors. That includes holding perpetrators accountable, measuring the impact of legal changes, and creating a permanent Anti-Hate Crime Task Force that brings together universities, the NYPD, DOE, DAs, and public defenders. New York must meet this crisis not with fear or division, but with bold, coordinated, and justice-driven solutions.

Fully fund and staff the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) and revitalize the City’s coordinated anti-hate strategy—expanding its budget and restoring the interagency committee, community advisory board, and restorative justice programming.
Invest in prevention, education, and survivor support, including fully restoring funding to Safe Horizon and Family Justice Centers, and dramatically increasing trauma-informed services, housing, and mental health resources for survivors of hate and gender-based violence.
Expand community-based violence interruption and restorative justice programs, including culturally competent education and bystander intervention training, modeled on successful efforts like the Partners Against the Hate (P.A.T.H.) initiative.
Combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian hate, and anti-LGBTQ+ violence with bold education reform—scaling inclusive curriculum, youth-led programming, and public campaigns to build belonging, empathy, and understanding across communities. Leverage the LinkNYC system to run youth created campaigns that spread positive, authentic messaging.
Launch a cutting-edge early intervention initiative to identify online radicalization, domestic extremism, and hate mobilization before violence occurs, pairing outreach with mental health support and family engagement.
Rebuild trust between law enforcement and communities by expanding trauma-informed, multilingual hate crime reporting mechanisms and guaranteeing protections for undocumented New Yorkers and other vulnerable groups.
Ensure every city worker is trained to recognize and respond to hate, bias, and discrimination—whether they’re a teacher, police officer, or social worker.

BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFER COMMUNITIES

Studies have consistently shown that improving the physical and social environment of neighborhoods—through beautification efforts and investments in community infrastructure—can play a critical role in reducing crime and strengthening social bonds. Initiatives such as cleaning vacant lots, planting trees, maintaining public spaces, and creating safe, well-lit streetscapes have been linked to reductions in both violent and property crimes. These improvements signal care, attention, and investment, which in turn foster a sense of pride, ownership, and collective responsibility. Social infrastructure, such as public libraries, community centers, and parks, provides safe, inclusive spaces where people can gather, access resources, and build relationships. Libraries, for example, serve as hubs of learning, connection, and support—particularly for youth and vulnerable populations—and have been shown to lower crime rates by increasing educational and economic opportunities. When communities are given the tools to connect, thrive, and feel seen, they are less likely to experience or perpetuate violence.

Key Policy Actions:

Targeted infrastructure investments in NYCHA and neglected areas such as lighting, sanitation, and public space upgrades as well as investments in developing a stronger mental health infrastructure.
- Establish on-site mental health and wellness teams in NYCHA developments and supportive housing units to offer counseling, trauma support, and crisis response. These teams will be composed of licensed clinicians, peer navigators, and social workers recruited from local communities. Their presence will reduce ER visits, police calls, and untreated trauma among NYCHA residents.
- Create mobile wellness units to reach unhoused New Yorkers with trauma-informed care, addiction services, and housing referrals. These units will also serve as proactive crisis responders during heatwaves, winter storms, or shelter relocations. A consistent citywide deployment model will ensure that no community is overlooked.
Crime-Preventing Design Changes such as improved pedestrian zones, signage, and transit safety upgrades.
Modernized Constituent Services including a mobile-first platform with AI routing, live translation, and real-time status updates.
Improve lighting and reduce scaffolding in areas where poor visibility contributes to crime and disorder.

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

The criminal justice system is fundamentally structured around principles of incentives and deterrence—rewarding lawful behavior and punishing unlawful conduct to shape societal norms. As the primary enforcers of the system, police officers must be held to these same standards; their actions should be subject to meaningful accountability structures to deter misconduct and promote trust in the institutions they represent.

Key Policy Actions:

Reject I.C.E. at schools, community centers, and places of worship, as it creates continued tension, fear, and decreased attendance rates
Establish shared oversight authority between the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and the NYPD, and shift final enforcement authority from the Police Commissioner to the Mayor. This would enhance accountability, ensure greater independence in disciplinary decisions, and build public trust by reducing conflicts of interest in cases of police misconduct.
Fund the CCRB to at least 1 percent of the NYPD budget on an ongoing basis. A large percentage of the current CCRB caseload is not investigated fully or resolved in part because of lack of funding.
Improving Training and Evaluation: Strong training in procedural justice and de-escalation significantly improves public safety and trust—studies show such training can lead to 14% declines in crime and up to 40% reductions in use-of-force incidents. These skills must be reinforced through regular refreshers and embedded in a department culture that prioritizes respectful, effective policing. Regular performance evaluations focused on safety, case resolution, and community trust are essential to making these improvements stick.
Create and publish a police misconduct registry, along with clear rationale for the resolution of prior infractions, ensuring public accountability.
Prioritize hiring officers from the communities they serve.
Launch a real-time public dashboard that tracks crime, complaints, and accountability.

FOUR IMMEDIATE CITYWIDE STRATEGIES

Weekly Incident Review Meetings at City Hall to coordinate safety agencies using data-driven transparency. This will align operations across NYPD, FDNY, EMS, social services, and violence interrupter groups. A unified response ensures no neighborhood falls through the cracks.
Focus on High-Risk Individuals through credible messengers and wraparound services. Credible messengers build trust and shift behavior in ways traditional policing cannot. This approach offers mentorship, employment access, and violence mediation.
Police-Community Partnerships in Hot Spots combining strategic deployment and outreach. These partnerships will include regular listening sessions, community patrols, and co-designed interventions. The goal is not just presence, but mutual accountability.
Reinvest in Violence Interruption programs, scaling up Cure Violence and other programs with full staffing and outcome tracking. This will include metrics on shooting reductions, program retention, and employment transitions. Community leaders must be empowered and paid like the essential workers they are.

SOURCES:

-CBCNY Resident Survey Brief, March 2024:

https://cbcny.org/sites/default/files/media/files/CBCREPORT_Resident-Survey-Brief_03192024_5.pdf

-NY Post, Subway Safety Perception, 2024:

https://nypost.com/2024/11/02/us-news/over-half-of-nyc-straphangers-feel-unsafe-unsatisfied-in-2024

-NYC Government Press Release, Crime Down Across NYC 2024:

https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/pr001/crime-down-across-new-york-city-2024-3-662-fewer-crimes

-NYC Crime Stats Update, January 2025:

https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/pr006/new-york-city-crime-continues-decline-1-700-fewer-major-crimes-january-2025

-Vital City NYC, Crime and Neighborhood Hotspots Report 2024:

https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/vital-signs-state-of-the-city-on-crime-2024