Law Enforcement
New York state lawmaker slams NYC mayor Eric Adams as NYPD sees exodus
"He's really got to stop spending his time partying and start focusing on the job at hand, and crime is number one"
June 13, 2022 1:36pm
Updated: June 14, 2022 1:20pm
Republican congressional candidate Mike Lawler criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ lack of action after New York police officers are quitting in record numbers.
"Obviously Mayor Adams inherited a mess from Bill de Blasio, but unfortunately, he really hasn't been able to turn the tide here,” Lawler told “Fox & Friends First.
"And I think more and more law enforcement officers, as soon as they can retire, are taking the opportunity to do so or if they could transfer to a department in the suburbs are doing so," he added.
More than 1,500 NYPD officers have resigned or retired this year, in what the New York Post calls one of the largest exodus from the NYPD since the statistic were first published.
NYPD pension statistics show that around 524 policemen have resigned, and 1,072 have retired as of May 31, causing the city to lose a total of 1,596 cops.
This year’s numbers are a 38% increase from the same period in 2021, when 1,159 police officers left the NYPD. It is also a 46% spike from 2020, when 1,092 ended their career.
“The last few years so many people had been leaving and manpower was so low that you’d go to work and you’d answer 25 to 30 jobs a day and you’re burnt out by the end of the day,” a former Queens cop told the Post.
“There was no time for law enforcement” because it would be “radio run, radio run, radio run all day long,” he added.
The current NYPD roster has some 34,687 police officers, a decrease from 2019 when there were 36,900 officers in the force.
Many police officers cite the city’s rising crime rates, anti-police hostility, and bail reform as some of the main reasons for leaving the blue uniform.
“The NYPD is sliding deeper into a staffing crisis that will ultimately hurt public safety,” Police Benevolent Association Patrolman Union President Patrick Lynch said.
“Low pay, inferior benefits and constant abuse from the City Council and other anti-cop demagogues has pushed attrition to record highs,” Lynch said, adding that NYPD is struggling to fill its Academy classes.
In December, NYPD was hoping to hire around 1,000 new cops. However, only 675 were sworn in. Due to the low numbers of individuals enrolling in the academy, the current police officer exam is free.
"Mayor Adams really needs to act," added Lawler. "He's really got to stop spending his time partying and start focusing on the job at hand, and crime is number one."
