New York City Mayor Eric Adams is walking a tightrope as he tries to stiffen policing after the murder of officer Jason Rivera and critically wounded his partner Wilbert Mora.

On the one side you have concerned businesses and residents wanting a roll back of the progressive Democrats that has brought the city to its knees. On the other side Adams will feel major push back from far left politicians demanding little should change in policing and bail reform.

As Adams put it at his Monday press conference, “I know how to do this. We have done it before,” when referring to getting illegal guns off the streets.

The new police initiatives include “Neighborhood Safety Teams” to be deployed in 20 most dangerous neighborhoods during the next three weeks. The areas of focus constitute nearly 80% of illegal gun arrests and shootings.

The former Transit cop wants to bring plainclothes units back on the street, but in a nod to the progressives, these officers will be clearly seen as police by wearing NYPD labeled jackets.

He is refining the previously cancelled “Stop and Frisk” program only it has no frisk to it. Adams says they will use new technology to determine who is carrying a concealed weapon. Not sure if those are the X-ray glasses I had as a kid.

The concern of many New Yorkers is that half-measures generally result in half results. So if the progressives go about handcuffing cops again, we could be in for a long year.

What appeared odd was the fact that Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell did not attend either Adams’ press conference on gun violence or the Q&A with reporters that followed.

Queens Democratic Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, who is a former public defender and democratic socialist, released a prepared statement that “much in the Mayor’s plan is cause for deep concern” saying it’s “built on a foundation of surveillance and punishment, which are ineffective and dangerous.”

“I strongly oppose reversing common-sense bail reform, removing vital safeguards on the rights of the accused, expanding the use of facial recognition technology, and moving minors accused of gun possession out of family court and into criminal court,” the far left Caban added.

As you have just read, Adams cannot coddle these progressive politicians and have an effective response to the gun violence. Five police officers have been shot so far this year and we are only three weeks in.

No Adams must push hard against this thinking whether it is in the City Council, the District Attorney’s office or in Albany.

Otherwise he is just shooting blanks.