Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much. I'm Mayor Adams, and I'm joined by District Attorney Bragg and the Police Commissioner, Commissioner Caban, and our support teams.
It does not give us any joy in coming here to talk about another case where a home daycare provider had children in a dangerous environment. And as we lay out this case and answer the questions from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to give clarity on the roles we are playing, we just want to really say to the parents who are dropping their children off every day to these centers that we are going to remain vigilant.
We are going to continually modify the rules — like they have been modified throughout the years — to stay ahead of bad people that are doing bad things in environments where our children are. Who would have thought that we must add to our list of inspections, do we have 3D printers that can print guns? Do we see the presence of various items like fentanyl and other items. These new methods of creating unsafe environments demand that we stay ahead of those who are doing terrible things in centers where we place our children.
This is a terrible case, we saw the presence of fentanyl in the Bronx, and just really want to commend the law enforcement officers and the first responders who immediately made apprehensions. I believe we picked up one of the last people involved, if not more. We will continue to pursue that. But now we're finding in addition to fentanyl that in a similar setting we've seen the presence of ghost guns and devices that appear to make those guns.
And so there is a law enforcement arm that we are going to continue to pursue. There are things that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that we are going to sit down with the group, a small working group, to look at what we must do legislatively, what we must do in enhancing the types of inspections that we do and continuing education.
And then there's an educational component that we are going to roll out with families, because many of us that are parents are not familiar with some of the new devices that are being used to make guns or to store narcotics or drugs or opioids, and we need to really support families and parents on what they should look for in their household.
I remember years ago when I was a state senator I put out the video of what to look through in your child's room, and many people, you know, criticized me for doing so, but it's an educational material. It is unfair that parents are having this awesome responsibility while social media is teaching children how to do dangerous things, we need to teach parents how to stay one step ahead, and that is what we're going to do. I did it as a state senator, a borough president and I'm going to continue to do it as the mayor to give parents the tools that they need.
This is a heartbreaking scenario of thinking that you're dropping your child off to a place of safe haven just to find out that it was a dangerous environment where someone was making a gun inside. And again, I want to thank the men and women of the New York City Police Department for moving in a rapid pace, and the district attorney's office and the judge for taking the steps that we needed to further this investigation.
And we're going to work united: we are clear that we must protect children in this city, and we're going to lead the entire country with some of the methods that we will put in place to carry out this awesome responsibility. Police Commissioner Caban?
Police Commissioner Edward Caban: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor, and thank you all for coming. Disrupting the flow of illegal guns has been a top priority for this administration since day one, and when it comes to taking conventional guns off our streets, the NYPD is doing a fantastic job, taking in excess of 12,000 illegal firearms since January of 2022.
We have also been tracking an emerging trend involving Polymer P80 guns; or, ghost guns, as they are called. These plastic guns have been showing up more and more, demanding the attention of our intelligence division; in fact, a specialized team was created to go after those who sell and purchase ghost guns in New York City. We have also had great success in this area, and Deputy Commissioner Weiner will get into specifics shortly.
With the world of guns continues to evolve, criminals are always searching for ways to avoid the police, and the new frontier is 3D printing. 3D guns, 3D printed guns are among the easiest ways to obtain a gun. They can be made in your home; they can be made anonymously; and they are cheap, costing a fraction of the price for a traditional firearm or even a P80 firearm. 3D printed guns have dedicated online forums explaining how they work; and as today's arrest shows, these types of guns have captured the attention of our kids.
The NYPD is not going to stand by and allow this emerging trend to take hold of our city. Today's a call to action. We are talking to the parents. Please check out what kids are up to, monitor their Internet activities. We are also speaking to those who think printing 3D guns is the wave of the future. You are wrong. The NYPD is dialed in on this trend. We will hold anyone accountable who emerged in these crimes.
I want to commend Inspector Nilan and her team for their tireless work. These cases are not easy. So much goes into tracing the online footprints of the suspects. Of course, once the case is made, we rely on our strong partnerships with the prosecutor to hold the suspects accountable.
Today we stand with the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg whose presence here sends a clear message: there is a united front on this issue and all matters of public safety. Together we continue to protect New Yorkers and make the safest big city in America even safer. Thank you. Now I'll turn it over to Deputy Commissioner Weiner.
Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Police Department: Good morning… Or afternoon, rather, everyone. Rebecca Weiner, I'm NYPD's deputy commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism.
Yesterday, members of the Intelligence Division's Major Case Field Intelligence team in coordination with the Manhattan district attorney's office executed three search warrants in Manhattan North related to a long term investigation into the manufacture and sale of Privately Made Firearms — what are called PMFs — in New York City.
These warrants resulted in the arrest of three individuals including two minors, and the recovery of multiple 3D printed firearms. This is an ongoing investigation and the information that we're going to present to you today is preliminary in nature.
What I can say is that our investigation began with a group of individuals including some minors who are purchasing ghost gun parts from online retailers as well as materials and filaments required to print 3D firearm components. Some of the purchases were made through fraudulent means, including the alleged identity theft of multiple victims across the United States.
During the analysis of the evidence recovered during the first two search warrants, investigators determined that an individual identified as 18-year-old Karon Coley was also involved in the 3D printing of firearms. Acting swiftly on this new intelligence, our detectives worked with the Manhattan DA's office to execute an additional search warrant for Mr. Coley's residence.
It's important for us to underline that this private residence located in the 25th precinct is also a licensed daycare operated by the subject's mother. Inside this daycare facility, investigators recovered a 3D printer, 3D printing tools and plastic filament, two completed 3D printed firearms, one 3D printed assault pistol in the final stages of assembly, and one additional 3D printed lower receiver.
Mr. Coley was arrested at the location. Investigators also found an obviously maltreated and neglected dog. The NYPD's Animal Cruelty Unit responded and removed the dog for evaluation. The circumstances around these galling arrests are part of a larger trend into what's become a global problem; namely, the manufacture and sale of Privately Made Firearms — or, PMFs — which include ghost guns as well as 3D printed firearms.
When made well, ghost guns and 3D printed firearms operate just like commercial firearms. In the hands of teenagers, they can inflict just as much violence. This is a growing trend in New York City, and one that our Major Case Field Intelligence Team has been at the forefront of grappling with for the past several years.
We take an intelligence based approach to identifying and disrupting individuals who are engaged in the manufacture and sale of PMFs with the aim of intercepting guns before they make it to the streets. We follow the data where it leads us, and the data is alarming: within the last three years, the number of PMFs and gun parts that we've recovered has increased significantly.
In 2021, the NYPD recovered 260 PMFs...263. Last year's number was almost double that, 436 recoveries. Year to date, the NYPD has recovered 290 PMFs. Compared to last year, we've recovered three times as many 3D printed firearms this year, and the year is not over yet.
Since 2021 inception of what we at the NYPD like to refer to as Inspector Courtney Nilan's ghost gun team, we've recovered 500 PMFs and enough additional parts to construct 200 more. All of these guns and gun parts could have resulted in violence in our communities.
We couldn't have done and don't do any of this alone. Our approach to combating the scourge of PMFs relies on relentless collaboration with our federal, state and local partners. We also want to recognize the New York State Police, HSI, CBP and ATF for their partnership.
