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#NYPD adding 900 recruits but still short of 2019 after ‘defund’ push

#NYPD adding 900 recruits but still short of 2019 after ‘defund’ push

The NYPD will enroll 900 new recruits for a November Police Academy class, the city’s top cop announced Friday, but will still be about 1,800 officers short of where the ranks were last year, due to budget cuts amid the COVID-fueled financial crisis and the push to reduce ranks in response to calls to defund the police.

The new class of recruits will add to the current 34,200-member force amid an ongoing surge of gun violence across the coronavirus pandemic-stricken Big Apple.

“Next week, the NYPD will send out offers to the 2020 November Academy class. Before the new class starts, the NYPD uniform headcount will be approximately 34,200. The new class will be 900 recruits, bringing the uniform head count closer to the level expected in the Adopted Budget,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a statement.

“Due to budget cuts as well as attrition, this is lower than the approximately 36,900 uniform members of service at this point last year. With the new class, the NYPD will be able to ensure public safety as the City continues to face a pandemic-driven perfect storm,” said Shea.

The commissioner added, “In this difficult financial time, the Department is grateful for the Mayor‘s [Bill de Blasio] leadership.”

The move comes after the New York City Council passed the city’s $88.1 billion budget with a $1 billion cut to the NYPD in response to calls to thin the ranks in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The cuts to the department included canceling the July Police Academy class.

Bronx Democratic Councilman Fernando Cabrera cheered the news of an upcoming Police Academy class.

Bronx Democratic Councilman Fernando Cabrera
Bronx Democratic Councilman Fernando CabreraRichard Harbus / NY Post

“Like many New Yorkers I have been alarmed by the increased levels of crime and the steady decrease in our city’s overall quality of life. So today’s announcement of a new Police Academy class comes as welcome news for all New Yorkers,” Cabrera said.

“The addition of 900 new offices when added to the current 34,200 member force is a step in the right direction and will help to restore the uniform headcount to last year’s 36,700, and moves us closer to the levels outlined in the adopted budget.”

Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch pointed out that the NYPD will still be “short-handed” even with the new recruits.

“Our house has been on fire for almost four months, but City Hall and 1 Police Plaza are just now reaching for the garden hose. These new recruits won’t hit the street until the middle of next year, and then we’ll still be seriously short-handed as we battle the massive spike in shootings, a rising murder rate and growing disorder of every kind,” Lynch said.

“New Yorkers need to understand: this is the future that Mayor de Blasio and your City Council members have chosen for you. If you want safe streets, you need to call and demand them,” said Lynch.

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