NYPD To Continue Use Of Flash Grenades

About two months after a Manhattan woman died during a mistaken raid on her Harlem home, the NYPD said Thursday it will use flash grenades again in the future, but only when the chief of the department gives the go-ahead.

Police have not used the grenades since 57-year-old Alberta Spruill died during a raid on her home on May 16. Spruill went into cardiac arrest after a flash grenade was detonated.

But Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that grenades have been authorized for use twice since the accident, but that police haven't seen the need to do so yet.

“It has been authorized but it hasn't been used,” Kelly said. “Again, you look at the totally of the situation. The Chief of the Department makes a determination as to whether or not it can be used. Then the commander on the scene makes the immediate determination as to whether it’s going to be used.”

The flash grenades were temporarily banned following Spruill's death. The department admitted a failure to communicate in the Spruill case.

At the time of the raid, the suspect police were looking for had already been taken into custody.

NYPD Gets Money To Recruit More Police Officers

After some doubt as to whether the NYPD could afford to hire more officers in light of the city’s budget woes, the NYPD said Wednesday that it will start training a new class of recruits next month.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the department would get 1,500 officers thanks to money approved by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Once the recruits graduate, Kelly said, the city’s police force could be back up to about 37,000 officers.

Training for the next class starts July 1.

Police Break Up Illegal Gambling Ring Operating In Four Boroughs

Police arrested 35 people Thursday in connection with an illegal gambling ring operating in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.

Investigators say “Operation Losing Bet” brought down the ring, which netted $30 million a year operating out of about 50 locations in every borough of the city apart from Staten Island. Police say 29 search warrants helped bring the ring down.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says investigators are expecting to make more arrests, including the suspected ring leaders.

“We've recovered more than $200,000 in cash, six firearms, computers, cell phones and thousands of pages of gambling records,” said Kelly. “Those business records have already provided us the final link to the organization's leaders, and we expect additional arrests in the coming days."

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes says a $3.4 million lawsuit has been launched against the gambling ring's top managers.

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