Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has embarked on an unprecedented campaign to put the stamp of the State Police on New York City, rerouting troopers to city airports and toll plazas from upstate areas that rely on them and bewildering some of the officials charged with carrying out his orders, says the New York Times. The deployment of close to 200 troopers has frustrated some police leaders and helped drive out a superintendent, who quit last year as he resisted the governor’s efforts to direct more troopers into the city and to influence some promotions, according to law enforcement sources.
The Cuomo strategy is seen by some within the State Police as having more to do with expanding his political footprint than with addressing the needs of law enforcement. The moves have thrust a police force of 4,900 into the position of defending a buildup in places already patrolled by nearly half a dozen law enforcement agencies and where crime is at historical lows. “The fact they’re being assigned to New York City means there’s rural parts of New York that are being understaffed and underprotected,” said Francis Coots, a former upstate police commander.