NYPD withdraws from district attorney's office following decision not to prosecute protesters

The New York Police Department has removed officers from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the latest example of the growing rift between city leadership and law enforcement. Hours after Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced his office would not be pursuing charges against some protesters who hit the streets following the death of George Floyd, the NYPD reassigned officers posted at his office to the street to help with crowd control, according to the New York Times. District attorneys in the boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens also declined to charge many protesters who were alleged to have broken the law and received the same response from the NYPD. New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea denied that the move was related to the announcements from district attorneys, but many believe the timing suggests otherwise. Some police officials have expressed anger at the decision not to prosecute. “It is a dereliction of duty to their oath of office,” Edward Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said about the moves from the various district attorneys. “More important than undercutting the work of the NYPD, it is undercutting public safety.”