New York Post

Take no prisoners for DeB’s Bx. visit

- By TINA MOORE, LARRY CELONA & AARON FEIS Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen

The NYPD told Bronx precinct bosses to make sure there are no prisoners in their station house for Mayor de Blasio’s Tuesday press conference — and won’t even let residents file complaints in the building, sources said.

Starting at 10 p.m. Monday, arrestees in the 40th Precinct — which is hosting the monthly stats meeting — were instead to be brought to the neighborin­g 41st Precinct, according to an NYPD memo obtained by The Post.

“41 Pct has been requested to house any prisoners taken into custody beginning Monday night at 2200 hours until comple- tion of the event,” according to the memo, circulated among supervisor­s in the South Bronx’s 40th Precinct ahead of de Blasio’s visit.

Cops from the crime-ridden 40th Precinct will also set up a “command post” just up the block from the station house at East 139th Street and Alexander Avenue to process complaints Tuesday morning through the 11 a.m. briefing, the memo said.

The game of musical cells is a security measure, while the outdoor command post is meant to protect the privacy of crime victims from media covering the briefing, the NYPD said.

“This is a standard practice to ensure a precinct’s operations continue smoothly, the privacy of complaints is protected, and security is maintained at the highest level,” said Phillip Walzak, the top NYPD spokesman — and former de Blasio press secretary.

Hizzoner’s visit comes amid skyrocketi­ng violent crime across The Bronx — and particular­ly in the 40th Precinct, which led all borough precincts in majorindex crimes as of July 1, according to NYPD statistics.

The Bronx had 51 murders through the first half of the year, a 64.5 percent surge from last year’s 31 at the same point.

The grim tally includes eight homicides in the 40th Precinct, compared with two in 2017.

Rapes, shootings and misdemeano­r assaults also are up in the precinct, stats show.

Patrolmen’s Benevolent Associatio­n President Patrick Lynch slammed de Blasio’s Bronx appearance as a stunt as crime skyrockets.

“The people of The Bronx are being victimized by a crime spike the likes of which we haven’t seen in this city in years,” Lynch said. “They are suffering the consequenc­es of five years of public- safety policy that normalizes criminal behavior. One press conference won’t reverse that trend.”

City Hall referred all questions to the NYPD.

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