There is plenty of citywide discussion about truancy, but it is not picked up by most of the media. The Mayor and Chancellor have been discussing the issue with community groups for the last year or two.

Also, in our city's toughest neighborhoods, there are a number of schools who do not permit their more difficult students to enter the school building on a regular basis. So when students are truant, we should ask how many of them went to school and were asked to leave or were told by security or other school staff that they cannot return.

I think the housing projects should have small sub stations onsite, in the lobby if needed.

The first team of officers should have been more alert as to the people in the dark room next door. This may have been even more tragic.

So, do we still want to stop stop and frisk??, or should we frisk old white ladies in the upper east side??

young people and guns...shame, they are not all just Black men, watch the news.

I grew up in Brownsville and spent much of my life up to age 30 in that area, and it was TOUGH,let me tell ya! I think that every housing project should have a small station of say two cops inside every building complex.

The city can't do anything about an illegal conversion unless someone lets them in the building.

Isn't the national trend of states and local municipalities laying off public sector workers part of this increase in crime and police officer deaths? Good luck with a national conversation re illegal guns.

Young black men and guns. Shame.

My husband worked in the 7-5 in the late 80s and early 90s, when the precinct was the homicide capital of the US. Our hearts go out to Officer Figowski's family.

Bob albeit not a very good one, the area does have a hospital....Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center.

What does a officer say when they go up to someone to "stop and frisk"? This seems so bizarre.

Well, crime is down, for whatever reasons, and so are tax revenues, so naturally police get laid off. And as a result, the remaining police will face more hardened or simply crazed criminals. The question of how you balance the amount of crime you are willing to tolerate, politically or otherwise, versus the safety of your remaining police who have less backup to rely on. Technology helps fill the void, but you still need cops to stop the criminals and make the arrests.