Wiliam Bratton: The crime crisis was created by the political leadership

Former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said Thursday on "The Story" that political leadership is spending too much time penalizing the police.

WILLIAM BRATTON: The crises we are facing right now is a crisis created by the political leadership. [There are] Many instances by district attorneys around the country that forget that their primary obligation to protect the innocent — the victims. They are spending too much time concerned with the rights of the criminals and too much time focusing on punishing and penalizing the behavior of police. You have this system where the criminal justice system is no longer functioning in the way it was originally created. Courts are still not back to pre-COVID levels with jury trials or arrangements. For instance, New York City has over 5,000 people walking the streets who were arrested on gun charges that have yet to get in front of a judge to be tried. Most cases I will predict will end up being dismissed by district attorneys because of lack of speedy trial provisions. So, what is to keep them from committing more crime when they get a general get out of [jail] free card.