The NYPD on Monday officially launched a new division focused on tackling quality-of-life issues. 

Mayor Eric Adams says the Quality of Life Division will work to make the city feel safer.

"Since day one, the administration has been clear, as l've stated over and over again: We will not tolerate an atmosphere of any and everything goes,” he said at a news conference last week. 

That vision has launched as pilot program, rolling out in six neighborhoods around the city, including the NYPD’s 13th Precinct, which covers Gramercy Park, Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town, as well as other sections of the East Side of Manhattan.

The NYPD said the new division will crack down on concerns including reckless e-bike driving, illegal vending, outdoor substance use, noise complaints and illegal parking.

Complaints about quality-of-life issues are on the rise, according to the NYPD. Since 2018, panhandling complaints are up 2,000%; homeless encampment complaints are up 500%; illegal parking complaints are up 200%; and noise complaints are up 100%. 

The announcement has led some critics to worry this could be a return to what they felt was over-policing during the so-called “broken windows” era when police targeted low-level offenses under the premise that if unchecked, the crimes would escalate. 

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, however, says this is different.

“Our methods are different from 30 years ago — there are no quotas or inflexible activity targets,” she said. “This is not zero-tolerance policing. When correcting these conditions, officers will have discretion."

City officials say they will evaluate the initiative over the next two months before expanding it to other police precincts.