When Alvin Bragg took office as Manhattan District Attorney in January 2022, NYC - like nearly every city - was still reeling from the COVID crime spike. Alvin went to work on a comprehensive strategy to make Manhattan safer. Here’s how he’s working every day to deliver the safety we need, and the justice we deserve.
Being serious about safety.
Alvin Bragg has worked tirelessly to build a smart, comprehensive strategy to keep our community safe and also to lift up our residents and ensure justice for all. This includes coordinating closely with fellow law enforcement partners; investing in young people; getting help for those struggling with mental health and substance use challenges; holding all accountable; and increasing gun prosecutions 20%. While there is still much more work to do, Manhattan is seeing real results. New crime stats show Alvin's safety vision works: In Manhattan, shootings are down 34%, burglary is down 34%, and overall index crimes are down 16% in the last two years. (NYPD Stats)
Relentless focus on stopping gun violence.
Ending the scourge of gun violence is Alvin's top priority. He’s brought 20% more gun cases than the previous year; partnered with police to stop the flow of guns into New York City; invested in young people to prevent shootings from happening in the first place; and hosted successful gun buyback events to get these weapons off the streets.
Alvin has also emerged as a national leader in combating the new threat of ghost guns that threaten our communities: his Ghost Guns Initiative has taken more than 90 ghost gun parts, 70 firearms, 424 high-capacity magazines, and numerous other components out of the hands of those who would wield these weapons to hurt others.
Alvin was honored by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence for all his gun violence prevention work.
Delivering justice for sexual assault survivors.
Alvin understands that survivors of sex crimes need more support than district attorney’s offices have traditionally provided. That’s why he created the Manhattan DA’s first-ever Special Victims Division – to make sure every survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse receives justice and the services they need. The Special Victims Division is helmed by leaders with expertise in providing services to survivors and implementing trauma-informed policies. Alvin also increased referrals to the Witness Aid Services Unit (WASU) in Special Victims cases by 200%, emphasizing centering survivors.
Investing in new mental health and substance use initiatives to make us all safer.
To help unhoused people grappling with serious mental illness and dangerous substance addiction and break cycles of crime, Alvin launched a new $9 million community-based mental health initiative to immediately reach these New Yorkers with support services. The neighborhood and court-based navigators will connect people to the help they urgently need, so they get back on their feet and live in dignity. It’s the right thing to do for our neighbors, and it makes all of us safer because it prevents crime and reduces repeat offenses.
Combating hate crimes.
The District Attorney’s office secured $1.7 million in funding to expand the Hate Crimes Unit and is not only investigating and prosecuting more hate crimes than ever before, but also conducting trainings with the NYPD on gathering the evidence necessary to prosecute and providing outreach and advocacy that helps victims heal and addresses root causes. Alvin also stood with lawmakers to modernize our laws, so that offenses our antiquated system currently doesn’t consider hate crimes can now properly be pursued as they should be. The office has a record number of hate crime cases pending and is vigorously pursuing accountability.
Righting past wrongs, and increasing trust.
Alvin is working to knock down barriers between the Manhattan District Attorney's office and the people it serves by forming deeper, more meaningful collaborations. This includes community groups, activists, labor unions, faith-based leaders, civic associations, elected officials, youth groups, immigrants, and particularly victims and survivors.
Alvin launched new reforms to bring justice for those wrongly convicted in the past. The Office’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit (PCJU) allows anyone convicted of a crime prosecuted by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office to request a review, with an emphasis on collaboration and trust with the community when reviewing old cases. The first exoneration announced was Steven Lopez, who was charged in the infamous Central Park jogger case, and more than 500 wrongful cases have been vacated over the past two years.
Similarly, Alvin bolstered the Office’s work to ensure integrity in law enforcement by creating a Police Accountability Unit, which operates independently from the rest of the Office, reports directly to the district attorney, and holds police accountable to the communities they serve.
Holding the powerful accountable.
Alvin knows that workers and tenants must be treated fairly, and bad-faith employers, abusive landlords, and corrupt government officials must be held accountable for their crimes – from stealing worker pay to retaliation to tax fraud to influence peddling and more. Alvin created the Office’s first-ever Worker Protection Unit to investigate and prosecute wage theft, employee harassment and workplace exploitation across Manhattan’s many economic sectors. He launched the DA’s first-ever Housing and Tenant Protection Unit, to target unfair evictions or squalid living conditions, and prevent abuse of government programs by landlords and developers. And he’s cracked down on government and white-collar crimes.
Cracking down on illegal cannabis stores and improving retail threat prevention.
Responding to the national increase in retail theft, one of Alvin’s first acts as District Attorney was to create the Manhattan Small Business Alliance - bringing together business owners, heads of business improvement districts, police and sheriffs, and community-based organizations to stop the rise in shoplifting. The plan targets repeat offenders causing the most harm; develops proactive investigations to dismantle organized retail theft and fencing operations; and improves coordination with local businesses and the NYPD. Alvin is also a leader in shutting down illegal, unlicensed cannabis dispensaries across Manhattan. These rogue shops hurt neighborhoods, and undermine the reforms that were designed to make sure those who suffered from unjust enforcement in the past get a fair shot at economic opportunity in the future.
