Aggressive panhandlers and rowdy bar patrons are in the crosshairs of the NYPD as they make a push against petty criminals throughout the five boroughs.
New York's finest handed out nearly 297,000 summonses to drunks, public urinators, and other street-side offenders since January -- up almost 5 percent from the previous year, according to the New York Post.
This bump follows a 7.1-percent decrease in summonses between 2007 and 2008, a number that the Post reported in January alongside fears that a shrinking police department may be losing focus.
“They wanted guys to step up and refocus on quality-of-life issues, and don't take your eye off it. We are back to where we were,” a ranking officer from the NYPD told the Post.
Seven of the eight "police boroughs" saw the increase in criminal summons violations, with the exception of Manhattan North -- the region above 59 Street. Queens South and Brooklyn South saw the biggest spikes, each with an increase of more than 17 percent.
