“We have to push back on this narrative that we are living in a city that’s out of control,” whined Mayor Adams on Tuesday — in the wake of the shocking murder of Police Officer Jonathan Diller and yet another deadly subway shoving.
If the mayor wants to “push back” on a “narrative” that describes reality, it’s time to grow the ranks of the NYPD’s patrol force by hiring more cops.
Sure, he can and should keep hectoring Albany over the state’s pro-disorder laws, but he doesn’t need the Legislature to put more police on the streets and subways.
The NYPD is already at its smallest in decades, down from its an all-time high of 40,285 in 2000 to under 34,000 — about 1,000 officers below the budgeted headcount.
As a result, police overtime spending is skyrocketing — and so is cop burnout.
In January, Adams’ proposed spending plan restored a final FY 2024 NYPD academy class he’d cut in response to the migrant crisis’ impact on city finances, but that only adds 600 recruits, probably not enough to keep pace with attrition from early retirements.
Adams himself pointed out that all city law-enforcement ranks are falling: “We’re losing police officers. We’re losing district attorneys because district attorneys are overwhelmed with paperwork right now and we’re losing them. We’re losing probation officers. We’re losing parole officers.”
The “foundation of public-safety apparatus is dissolving right in front of our eyes,” he moans: So do something about it, sir.
Here’s three steps to start with:
- Reinstate the four canceled FY 2025 Police Academy classes.
- Find money for a larger transit-police presence. (Demand the state help: If we must have congestion pricing, at least it should put more cops in the subway.)
- Upgrade his street-homeless mental-health-intervention program.
Then start holding rallies in the districts of legislators who oppose 1) fixing the state’s bungled criminal-justice reforms, 2) allowing easier involuntary commitment of the dangerously mentally ill and/or 3) funding more long-term mental-health beds.
“More police officers means safer streets, safer subways and a safer New York City,” Adams said at the beginning of the year.
Put those words into action, sir, and give New Yorkers the public safety they expect and deserve.
