By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Thursday announced the formation of the NYPD’s new Quality of Life Division — an initiative “focused on enhancing trust between communities and the police while addressing everyday issues that impact New Yorkers’ sense of safety and well-being,” according to the administration.
“Issues like illegal vending, substance use, abandoned vehicles, illegal mopeds, reckless driving, and more have persisted for far too long,” Adams said.
The new unit will roll out in phases, beginning with a pilot program in five commands, including the 101st Precinct in Rockaway and the 75th Precinct in East New York. Over the next two months, the initiative will be evaluated and refined before expanding to other precincts and Police Service Areas.
According to the administration, the Quality of Life Division will unite specially-trained cops from various existing community-oriented roles — including neighborhood coordination officers, youth coordination officers, and traffic safety officers — into a citywide effort to tackle persistent quality-of-life concerns. Non-emergency 311 concerns, such as noise complaints, illegal parking, homelessness-related issues, outdoor drug use, aggressive panhandling, and other issues that affect New Yorkers’ everyday life, have risen steadily across the five boroughs over the last six years.
Using a model based on the NYPD’s main crime data tracker, CompStat, a new system called Q-Stat will analyze precinct and public service area data related to 311 service requests. Q-Stat meetings will be held monthly — like CompStat meetings, beginning in May — and will aim to identify neighborhoods susceptible to chronic quality-of-life conditions. They will also explore non-enforcement, discretionary solutions for Q-Teams, local leaders, and residents.
There will be no extra cost associated with the formation of the Quality of Life Division. Personnel will come from internal restructuring at the NYPD to enhance operational efficiency and better align daily with the needs of local communities, and existing funding from the NYPD’s budget will be utilized to save taxpayer dollars.
Q-Team officers will undergo additional training beyond what they received in their previous roles, including strategies and techniques on how best to address quality-of-life problems and new departmental expectations. The training module includes a detailed overview of the current structure of the division, as well as instruction on the use of the 311 system. Officers will also receive training on specific topics, such as encampments, derelict vehicles, traffic conditions, enforcement of alternative vehicles, reckless driving, and the use of sound metering devices regarding noise complaints.
The new division will be led by Deputy Chief William Glynn, a 21-year veteran of the NYPD.
“Thanks to the incredible work of the women and men in blue, we’ve seen historic declines in major crimes across the city,” Tisch said. “Now, we’re turning our attention toward the issues that New Yorkers see and feel every day — the things that don’t always make headlines but deeply impact how people live. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe, and the Quality of Life Division will take a direct approach to address these issues impacting our streets and public housing developments.
