Last week, Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson said in a statement he would no longer be prosecuting most low level weed cases. He said this was a move to discourage the number of arrests made for non-violent possession charges, many of which are dismissed anyway. The NYPD has responded with their own memo, asserting that they will continue to arrest people for these crimes “equally” throughout the city. The NYPD memo was quoted as saying:
The Brooklyn DA’s new policy does not change any policy, practice or procedure of the NYPD. The NYPD will continue to enforce the law uniformly throughout all five boroughs of the city. The Brooklyn DA has the authority to determine how his office will prosecute cases, but that does not limit the authority of the NYPD to make lawful arrests.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the DA’s words “really does not change the working circumstances of police officers who are in the field.” He maintains that weed is not only a gateway drug, but also a gateway crime. In May, Bratton told the Daily News he will not support the decriminalizing of pot even though pot was decriminalized back in 1977.
