Mayor Eric Adams made a surprise visit to a Bronx precinct Friday to try
to boost NYPD morale as the city reels from mass cop resignations and a
crime wave.

Adams� unscheduled appearance occurred at an event held by his police
commissioner, Keechant Sewell, who was at the 43rd Precinct to announce
the promotions of two hero cops for their role in taking down the ex-con
who fatally shot Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo six years ago.

Hizzoner addressed precinct officers during their morning roll call.

�We wanted to come up and say thank you,� said the mayor, an ex-cop
himself. �The commissioner and I inherited a city where the morale was
just really destroyed. And many of you are out there every day � every
time you took the wrong action, you were receiving mixed signals and
didn�t know any level of clarity on doing your job.�

�Anytime something was posted on social media that got only a portion of
what actually happened, people turned against you,� Adams said. �And we
were clear from Day One: We are not going to send you out on the front
line and leave you out there, and you responded.

�Homicides are down,� he said. �Shootings are down. Even in the last month
or so, felony assaults are down. We are slowly, block by block, taking our
city back, and no one knows that more than the Bronx and what�s happening
up here.�

His comments come as killings in the New York City subway system since
2020 have skyrocketed to the highest annual levels in 25 years, even amid
plummeting ridership numbers.

Transit crimes in general are up nearly 41 percent year to date, the
latest NYPD statistics show.

The data also show that in general, six of the seven major felony
categories are up so far this year in the city, except for murders.

Overall shooting incidents are down by about 14 percent, and shooting
victims by around 13 percent from 2021 to 2022. Shootings are not included
in the seven major felony categories.

But the city has recently seen a surge in innocent bystanders struck by
stray bullets.

Sewell also spoke to the cops Friday morning, reminding them of the sixth
anniversary of Tuozzolo�s death in the line of duty.

�Every single day, we are asked to do what others will not,� the top cop
said. �That is true today, as it was true six years ago today, [when] we
lost Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo.

�Lisa lost a husband. Austin and Joseph lost a father,� she said,
referring to Tuozzolo�s widow and kids.

She then promoted Officer Elwin Martinez to detective specialist and Sgt.
Arvid Flores to a sought-after supervisor role, sergeant of the detective
squad, for their role in taking down the fallen cop�s killer.

Both officers �took extraordinary action to stop a threat,� Sewell said.

Tuozzolo�s tearful widow, Lisa Tuozzolo, thanked her husband�s brothers in
blue for their �love and support and kindness, because I could not raise
my two little ones without you.�

Her young sons were upstairs in their pajamas and did not come down to the
roll call.

She later told The Post that she was �proud� of the promoted officers.

�And they are my heart,� she added, placing her hand on the left side of
her chest.

�They were with Paul when he died,� she added, tears welling up in her
eyes. �They were there to ensure that he was not in pain, and they did
everything they could to save him. My words for them are immeasurable.�

Both officers previously received the Medal of Honor � the department�s
highest accolade � in 2019.

https://nypost.com/2022/11/04/mayor-adams-tries-to-boost-nypd-morale-in-
surprise-precinct-visit/