Fear and Duty: How COVID-19 Changed the Face of Policing in NYC

Reflecting on my experiences in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I recall being reassigned from a federal task force to uniformed patrol in a low-income area of Queens, New York. This was due to a significant shortage of officers, many of whom were out sick with COVID-19, some in critical condition. As a veteran detective with a background in proactive policing, I was tasked with supporting patrol operations in an environment that had undergone a significant shift since my early career days.

When I began patrolling the streets of New York in the early 2000s, proactive policing, characterized by swift, decisive action was the norm, and it was this approach that contributed to driving crime in NYC to its lowest levels in decades. However, during my time back in uniform, I observed a stark contrast. Officers seemed hesitant to engage in hands-on policing, opting to respond only to calls dispatched via radio, and demonstrating a reluctance to intervene unless absolutely necessary.

An incident that stood out involved responding to a dispatch about shots fired. Despite being located on the opposite end of the precinct, my sergeant and I were the first officers on the scene, arriving before the designated sector cars. We engaged with the complainants who identified a specific apartment into which the perpetrators had fled. Despite resistance from the occupants, we ent