While crime skyrockets in the Big Apple‚ the New York City Police Department (NYPD) showed off its dance squad on local media. Footage of the NYPD Dance Team performing on PIX11 went viral on social media and not for good reasons. The NYPD faced severe criticism for not having its priorities in check.  WATCH: The NYPD now has its own dance team pic.twitter.com/AUXZbSur0I — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 18‚ 2024 Social media users criticized the televised performance: I feel safe now. https://t.co/NX7PQharf8 — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) February 18‚ 2024 We deserve whatever’s coming. https://t.co/k5nrHEE48o — Rangermonk (@rangermonk1) February 18‚ 2024 The NYPD was once a legendary‚ proud‚ and storied force. Today‚ not so much. https://t.co/uLroKQzwI9 — Rob O'Donnell (@odonnell_r) February 18‚ 2024 New York City experiencing spiralling crime. Meanwhile….. https://t.co/zyuTH60Mmq — David Vance (@DVATW) February 18‚ 2024 Daily Mail reports: The New York City Police Department is facing opposition over its extracurricular dance crew‚ with critics urging demanding officers focus more on combatting crime and less on their dance moves. Founded in 2022‚ the team was intended to serve as a place for officers to unwind after their shifts. The dancers practice two to three times a week‚ performing at city schools‚ galas and other events. President Autumn-Rain Martinez described dance rehearsal as ‘a place to release mental stress’ during a recent appearance on PIX 11. ‘We have to have a space to decompress‚’ she explained. The team’s very public promotion comes as New Yorkers voice concerns about rising crime and strained resources amid the ongoing migrant crisis. “Major crime continued to rise during Mayor Eric Adams’s first fiscal year in office — as NYPD response times slowed across the board‚ according to the mayor’s yearly report‚” the New York Post reported in September. Major crime in NYC continues to climb under Mayor Eric Adams — while NYPD response times slow: report https://t.co/shVRnRC396 pic.twitter.com/Qcda7yQUYi — New York Post (@nypost) September 15‚ 2023 From the New York Post: The sprawling Mayor’s Management Report‚ — which addresses every facet of city government and this year mentions the migrant crisis more than two dozen times — says felony crime nearly topped 127‚000 reports over the fiscal year 2023‚ a 6.4% jump from the prior year. That’s also a more than 35.6% jump from pre-pandemic times‚ according to the report which covers the period from July 1‚ 2022‚ to June 30‚ 2023. Only two categories‚ murder and rape‚ saw an improvement‚ while the rest ticked up year over year. At the same time‚ average response times for all crimes jumped by nearly two minutes to 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Even critical and serious crimes in progress showed sluggish responses‚ with critical active incidents slowing more than half a minute to 9 minutes and reports of serious crimes taking just over 13 minutes for a cop to arrive‚ which is more than a minute slower. Watch the full performance at PIX11 News: