The New York Police Department is disbanding its aggressive anti-crime unit as part of a nationwide push for policing reforms following the killing of George Floyd.

The New York Police Department is disbanding its aggressive anti-crime unit as part of a nationwide push for policing reforms following the killing of George Floyd. In a major redeployment, the country's largest police force will reassign some 600 plainclothes officers in the anti-crime unit, the target of numerous complaints, to other duties, effective immediately, Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Monday. "Make no mistake, this is a seismic shift in the culture of how the NYPD polices this great city," Shea told a news briefing. "It will be felt immediately throughout the five district attorney's offices, it will be felt immediately in the communities that we protect." Like most US cities, New York has had daily protests demanding racial justice since the May 25 killing of Floyd, a black man, by a white Minneapolis officer. The mass reassignment follows a number of policing overhaul bills signed last week by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The move is designed at modernising the NYPD with a uniformed staff of more than 36,000, and build trust amid heightened racial tension, Shea said. By ending the anti-crime unit, which proactively pursues street criminals, Shea said he hopes to regain support in neighbourhoods alienated by the unit's rough tactics, which have drawn a large share of complaints. Shea stressed he was not faulting the officers of the unit who he said had been doing what was asked of them. The move was closing one of the last chapters of the "stop-and-frisk" era that disproportionately targeted non-white people for random searches, he said. "We can do it with brains, we can do it with guile, we can move away from brute force," he said. (With inputs from Reuters)

New York City police disbands anti-crime unit amid pressure to reform

New York City police on Sunday located a tourist couple whose unlucky marriage proposal went viral after their engagement ring fell down a Times Square subway grate.

A video of the incident shared on Twitter by the New York City Police Department on Saturday collected more than 20,000 retweets, made headlines and managed to reach the newly engaged pair who had returned to the United Kingdom.

"The (now) happy couple is back in their home country, but thanks to your retweets they heard we were looking for them!" the NYPD wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "We're making arrangements to get them their ring back. Congratulations!"

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We would like to thank everyone who shared this story! The (now) happy couple is back in their home country, but thanks to your retweets they heard we were looking for them! We’re making arrangements to get them their ring back. Congratulations! <a href="https://t.co/rXHxxkwClm">https://t.co/rXHxxkwClm</a>
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1069298572594692102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The video captured by security cameras showed the distressed couple trying, unsuccessfully, to retrieve the ring.

NYPD officers managed to recover and clean the piece of jewelry, but could not find the couple so made the appeal on social media.

"Thank you, Twitter. Case closed! Love, John, Daniella, and the NYPD," the department tweeted on Sunday, along with a photo of the smiling couple.

More than 350,000 people visit Times Square in midtown Manhattan, known as "The Crossroads of the World," every day.

New York City police on Sunday located a tourist couple whose unlucky marriage proposal went viral after their engagement ring fell down a Times Square subway grate.

New York City police on Sunday located a tourist couple whose unlucky marriage proposal went viral after their engagement ring fell down a Times Square subway grate. A video of the incident shared on Twitter by the New York City Police Department on Saturday collected more than 20,000 retweets, made headlines and managed to reach the newly engaged pair who had returned to the United Kingdom. "The (now) happy couple is back in their home country, but thanks to your retweets they heard we were looking for them!" the NYPD wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "We're making arrangements to get them their ring back. Congratulations!" We would like to thank everyone who shared this story! The (now) happy couple is back in their home country, but thanks to your retweets they heard we were looking for them! We’re making arrangements to get them their ring back. Congratulations! https://t.co/rXHxxkwClm — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 2, 2018 × The video captured by security cameras showed the distressed couple trying, unsuccessfully, to retrieve the ring. NYPD officers managed to recover and clean the piece of jewelry, but could not find the couple so made the appeal on social media. "Thank you, Twitter. Case closed! Love, John, Daniella, and the NYPD," the department tweeted on Sunday, along with a photo of the smiling couple. More than 350,000 people visit Times Square in midtown Manhattan, known as "The Crossroads of the World," every day.

NYC cops find couple who lost engagement ring down subway grate

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant.

New York City Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference that the alleged victim &quot;put forth a credible and detailed narrative.&quot;

&quot;We have an actual case here,&quot; Boyce said. He said the police department became aware of the accusation on October 25.

Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and &quot;we have to move forward gathering evidence.&quot;

Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state the police department would need a court-ordered warrant for an arrest.

More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the allegations.

Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and &quot;we found corroboration along the way.&quot;

He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney&#39;s office.

&quot;Right now he (Weinstein) poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He&#39;s out of state. So it&#39;s a continuing investigation,&quot; Boyce told the news conference.

Earlier on Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, &ldquo;A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the Office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.&rdquo;

Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him.

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant. New York City Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference that the alleged victim "put forth a credible and detailed narrative." "We have an actual case here," Boyce said. He said the police department became aware of the accusation on October 25. Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and "we have to move forward gathering evidence." Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state the police department would need a court-ordered warrant for an arrest. More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the allegations. Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and "we found corroboration along the way." He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney's office. "Right now he (Weinstein) poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He's out of state. So it's a continuing investigation," Boyce told the news conference. Earlier on Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, “A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the Office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.” Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him.

New York City police say gathering evidence for possible Weinstein arrest warrant