(ConservativeJournal.org) – Thousand of New York police officers are leaving the force as the job becomes increasingly difficult. A total of 2,516 NYPD police have quit, transferred, or retired early from the force in 2023, and the year isn’t over yet.
Data published by the New York Post said that the number is the fourth-highest in the last ten years and stands 43% above the numbers from 2018 when only 1,750 cops left the profession.
Cops retiring before they activate their full pension benefits for staying on the force for 20 years are also jumping up, suggesting the strain on some officers isn’t worth the extra money. In 2020, that number was 509 cops but in 2023 it’s spiked to 1,040, more than doubling in a few short years.
Compounding the problem are budget cuts due to the illegal immigrant crisis and the city’s continued spending of public money on feeding, clothing, housing, providing social services, medical, and educational benefits to noncitizens who arrive illegally in Manhattan. Mayor Eric Adams suggested there were over a hundred thousand illegals in the city, well outnumbering the police force.
The city is also canceling the next five Police Academy classes as part of the plan to shrink the force. Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry suggested the cops are being compelled to work “inhumane amounts of forced overtime.” He further suggested the NYPD couldn’t keep squeezing those left behind for more hours. Police Union officials have already proposed an alternative schedule where cops would work fewer shifts per week, but stay on longer per shift.
Over just two days in February 21 police transferred to the MTA from the NYPD.
In June, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell resigned after serving in the role for 18 months. She didn’t give a specific reason for her departure and sources told the New York Post that her resignation was a surprise to City Hall.
An anonymous officer speaking with the Post said many cops were planning on retiring as soon as they hit their 20-year marker for full benefits. He said that he had been speaking with his fellow police academy classmates and 95% of them were intent on leaving as soon as possible.
Copyright 2023, ConservativeJournal.org
