‘Going to stay the course’

Newly installed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg defended his progressive policies in a Harlem speech Saturday, vowing to stick to his agenda but admitting he was surprised by the “pushback” it had received in the past week.

“I’m new to politics, but I’m steadfast. We are going to stay the course,” Bragg said at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters.

The DA’s policies, unveiled on Tuesday, include instructions to prosecutors to not seek jail time for many crimes and to downgrade felony charges in cases including armed robberies and drug dealing.

Bragg told the crowd that no one should be surprised by his actions.

“We said we were going to marry fairness and safety, and we laid out a specific plan,” he said. “We put on the Web site, we put it in print, and this week, after Jan. 1, we got down to work, and we are doing what we said we would do.”

Bragg said some career criminals needed to be connected to mentalhealth or addiction services.

“This is going to make us safer. It’s intuitive. It’s common sense,” he said. “I don’t understand the pushback.” But he vowed to be tough on guns. “If you go into the store in Manhattan and used a gun to rob that store, that’s is armed robbery That is serious, and we will be prosecuting armed robbery in Manhattan,” Bragg said.

The new policies led Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell to voice concern for the safety of her officers on Friday. But Bragg promised not go soft on those who harm cops.

“So to all my partners in law enforcement, let’s also be clear about another thing: If you are assaulted, that is a serious matter and a crime, and that will be prosecuted as such in the County of New York, Manhattan,” he said.