De Blasio to shift NYPD funding to local youth groups

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that he will be taking funding from the NYPD to instead support local youth groups.

“We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services,” Hizzoner vowed, calling it part of “deeper reforms” to tackle the “profound disparities” in the city.

It was not clear how much funding was being switched or which groups would receive the extra help. Hizzoner said the “details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead.”

De Blasio vowed that it would be done “in a way that we are certain continues to ensure that this city will be safe.”

The mayor also announced that street vendor enforcement will “no longer be the responsibility of the NYPD,” and will instead be handled by a civilian agency. He did not clarify which agency.

He called it “an area that New Yorkers feel passionately about” because it involves people trying to “experience some version of that American dream that often feels elusive lately.”

He called street vending an “opportunity to move forward” for many immigrants.

De Blasio also repeated calls for reform to state privacy laws shielding officers’ disciplinary records.