New York City's Police Department Imploding

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was elected largely because he ran as a moderate who would be tough on crime.

Now the embattled Mayor is facing challenge after challenge, not the least of which is that his NYC Police Department is imploding, and he doesn’t even have the funds to run and hire from his own police academy due to the expenses stemming from the migrant crisis. He is slashing $4 billion from city services in order to pay for taking care of the illegal migrants who have flooded New York due to its sanctuary policies.

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So New York City has frozen hiring at the NYPD, which begs the question: what do losses look like?

New York City has the largest police force in the United States, but even an organization this large can’t sustain losses of the magnitude New York is facing. Especially during a crime wave so bad that it dominated the campaign for Mayor in 2021.

Over 2,500 police officers have left the New York Police Department (NYPD) so far in 2023, according to data analyzed by the New York Post.

At least 2,516 officers have left the department in 2023, the fourth highest number over the past ten years, the New York Post reported, citing pension data from the department. The department saw over 1,000 officers decide to quit before they became eligible for their pension after 20 years of service.

“The workload is a leading factor driving people away from the job,” Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick Hendry told the Post. “If the NYPD is going to survive these staffing reductions, it cannot just keep squeezing cops for more hours.”

Democratic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City announced Nov. 16 that the NYPD would freeze hiring in order to address the city’s mounting migrant crisis, two days after he said the city would not hire a class of 250 school safety agents currently being trained.

The NYPD responded to 69 antisemitic attacks in October, a 331% increase in the figure from September in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack launched by Hamas against multiple locations in southern Israel.

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The workload is high, the streets are unsafe, respect for law enforcement has dropped precipitously since the 2020 riots, and the influx of migrants has brought with it chaos.

More people will leave because life for the remaining officers will only get worse. If you think the workload is high now, imagine what it will become as thousands more officers leave without anybody to replace them.

The number of police officers able to work the streets is actually lower than the number on the payroll, as many police officers with accumulated days off are “running their time,” taking time off until their retirement date.

Officers typically work 20 years or more to collect their full pension, which can equate to 50% of their final average salary. The data obtained by The Post shows those who are “running their time,” or using accrued days off before they exit. Those cops are still counted in the NYPD’s own stats as being on the force.

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As the number of police officers decreases, the work requirements being pushed by politicians keeps going up as part of the “reform” movement that began with George Floyd’s death and the following riots.

The exodus began after Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparking nationwide protests and calls to defund the police. Anti-cop hostility, bail reform, and rising crime have fed into frustration among the NYPD rank and file.

The latest Finest exodus has been sparked by the “continued piling on ” by the City Council and police watchdogs, insiders told The Post.

The City Council, which is poised to pass a sweeping package of bills that would force the NYPD to file millions of reports on even the most minor encounters with New Yorkers.

The measures also would mandate cops speedily turn over officers’ body-camera recordings to state investigators, and that the department disclose more information about traffic stops and internal operations.

And a bill pushed by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — Intro. 586-A — would require officers to file a report on all low-level “police-civilian investigative encounters.” These are instances where the person the police officer is engaging is not considered a suspect or being stopped, questioned and frisked.

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All this is a recipe for a public safety disaster. And it is hitting at a time when Mayor Adams has suddenly found himself beset by political attacks from all sides, especially from Washington DC.

I don’t know how clean or not Adams actually is, but I along with others can’t but note that once he began criticizing President Biden for his immigration policies the world has collapsed on the Mayor.

After decades in the public eye, Mayor Adams has suddenly become public enemy #1. A federal investigation, search warrants for his electronic devices, and a sexual assault allegation from 30 years ago suddenly pops up.

What a coincidence.

The bottom line is that New Yorkers are about to face years of crime problems largely caused by dangerous Left-wing policies and Washington DC-driven crises.

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In political circles being Mayor of New York City is near the very top of the prestige ladder, and Eric Adams made no secret that he has long aimed to live in Gracie Mansion.

I wonder if he regrets that he got his wish.

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