More than 2,500 NYPD Officers Have Left Department in 2023

The exodus combined with recruiting struggles comes as embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced city-wide budget cuts, including a $132 million cut to the NYPD budget.

The number of cops who are choosing to leave before their 20-year mark – when they would be guaranteed their full pension that can be as high as 50% of their salary – has also increased, Sputnik reported.

The cops complain that they are overworked and underpaid, and many are leaving for other cities that provide better benefits and a better work-life balance. One recruiter who entices NYPD cops to leave for police forces in Florida told US media that he is busier than he has ever been.

“The cops who left can’t believe they ever worked there,” he said.

The police union says they are working “inhumane” overtime hours, which it blames on recruiting shortages. The union has suggested more flexible hours, allowing officers to work longer shifts but fewer days.

Officers have also complained about anti-cop sentiment that has risen over the years, particularly after Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020, which, along with several other high-profile instances of unarmed black people being killed or murdered by police that year led to nationwide protests.

A planned budget cut to the police force, which has not yet gone into effect, is also being blamed.

“When you look at the number of resignations, you need to ask yourself why would the mayor even consider making cuts to hiring in the NYPD?” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice told US media. “As the numbers continue to dwindle, things will take a dramatic turn for the worse.”

However, the NYPD is reportedly the world’s largest and most expensive police force, though some American cities spend more as a percentage of their budget. If the NYPD were a military force, it would be the 36th most expensive in the world.

The planned budget cuts, which Mayor Eric Adams blames on the migrant crisis, will cut the NYPD budget by $132 million, a roughly 2.5% drop from its 2023 budget and puts it in line with the department’s 2018 budget. New York City is planning $4 billion in budget cuts citywide, the cuts to the NYPD represent 3.3% of the city’s total cuts.

The official NYPD budget does not include pensions, other benefits, or debt payments. If included, those budget expenditures nearly double the size of the NYPD’s budget.

The NYPD is the city’s third largest expense, after the Department of Education and the Department of Social Services.

Crime in 2022 paled in comparison to the 1990s, when New York City was considered one of America’s most dangerous.

In 1990, 2,245 homicides were reported in New York City, compared to 434 in 2022.

The increase in 2022 compared to 2021 has also been declining this year, according to NYPD’s numbers. Shooting incidents are down 25.7% year to date in 2023 compared to 2022, while murder, rape, burglary, and grand larceny are also all down.

There has been an 11% increase in car thefts and slight increases in robbery and felony assaults. Transit crimes are also up in 2023.