[NYPOST] NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell sent an e-mail to cops on Friday saying she’s "concerned" for their safety in light of the progressive policies announced this week by the new Manhattan district attorney that some see as soft on crime."I have studied these policies and I am very concerned about the implications to your safety as coppers, the safety of the public and justice for the victims," Sewell wrote in the email obtained by The Post.
"I am making my concerns known to the Manhattan District Attorney and hope to have frank and productive discussions to try and reach more common ground."
District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in his first memo issued Monday, instructed his staff to stop prosecuting many low-level offenses, to seek reduced charges for certain crimes and not to ask for bail except in the most serious cases.
Sewell, who also recently started in her role after being appointed by new Mayor Eric Adams
...retired New York City police captain, member of the New York State Senate, first Black Brooklyn borough president, law and order Dem after a brief fling with the Publicans. The New York Times isn't fond of him, suspecting he may not actually be black..., said the progressive approach will erode quality of life in the city, and sends a message to coppers that they are not protected.
Her message diverges from that of Adams, who has stood by Bragg amid outrage over his approach.
Asked on Wednesday about the DA’s policy not to go after smaller offenses, Adams told news hounds: "I know DA Bragg. I respect him, he’s a great prosecutor."
In her email to all uniformed members of the department, Sewell said she had already raised some issues with Bragg, including his refusal to prosecute resisting arrest charges unless they are part of a larger, felony case.
That decision "will invite violence against coppers and will have deleterious effects on our relationship with the communities we protect," Sewell wrote.
The top cop also raised concerns about the new policies downgrading felonies to misdemeanors in certain cases.
For instance, Bragg’s memo states that suspects initially charged with armed robbery of a store would get hit with petit larceny instead, misdemeanor, provided no victims were seriously injured and there was no "genuine risk of physical harm." The DA’s Office clarified on Wednesday that it would still prosecute armed robberies involving a gun as a felony.
Sewell said that classifying gunpoint robberies in businesses as misdemeanors instead of felonies endangers cops and is bad for business owners, who are reeling from increased theft.