So far this year, more than 2,500 NYPD officers have surrendered their badges as the force continues to grapple with a mass exodus.
The layoffs leave remaining staff with a crippling workload as they have to work “inhumane amounts of overtime,” according to union leaders.
To date, 2,516 NYPD officers have left, the fourth-highest number in the past decade New York Post reports.
Meanwhile, the number of officers who must walk before reaching the 20 years needed to receive their full pension has increased by 104 percent, from 509 in 2020 to 1,040.
“Workload is a leading factor driving people away from their jobs,” said Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association.
More than 2,500 NYPD officers have resigned so far this year as the force reels from a mass exodus
Patrick Hendry, chairman of the Police Benevolent Association, said those left behind have been forced to pick up ‘inhuman’ amounts of overtime
So far, 2,516 NYPD officers have left, the fourth-highest number in the past decade
“If the NYPD wants to survive this workforce reduction, it cannot continue to pressure the police.”
He added that the staff reductions led to police picking up “inhumane amounts of forced overtime.”
The union is calling on the NYPD to introduce longer working hours, spread over fewer workdays.
It comes amid rising crime rates in the Big Apple under Mayor Eric Adams, whose decision to cut police funding and eliminate the next five Police Academy classes threatens to worsen the situation.
The deep cuts will see police numbers fall to their lowest level since the 1990s, with just 29,000 officers left by the end of the financial year in 2025.
Beleaguered Mayor Adams acknowledged there is a “law enforcement crisis” and blamed the migrant crisis for the dramatic budget cuts.
DailyMail.com previously reported that the force suffered a record number of redundancies earlier this year, with around ten percent of this year’s total taking place in January and February.
The vacancies come as Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams announced massive budget cuts to the military, which will deplete the military to its lowest level since the 1990s.
Adams said the drastic cuts will leave just 29,000 police officers by the end of the 2025 budget year. He blamed the reduction on the city’s migrant crisis.
Two days in February saw a worrying 21 layoffs, according to the New York Post, which reported that more than a dozen staffers walked out on February 20 and 21.
Among those who quit this year was NYPD Keechant Sewell, whose shocking resignation after just 18 months stunned City Hall.
According to a report, the first female commissioner reportedly walked out after clashing with Mayor Adams over a police disciplinary matter.
She cited “tragedy and challenges” as the reason behind her quick departure.
And it appears the pressure is being felt at every level, especially among rank-and-file officers, many of whom report that they only plan to do the job until they complete 20 years of service, which would entitle them to their full pension.
One of those officers, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Post that several classmates at his police academy “all have the same idea” as they work 13 to 14 hours a day in the wake of frequent protests in the city.
“I think maybe 95 percent of us are planning to leave,” he said of his 2004 class of 2,400.
The resignation comes as attacks on police have increased by 25 percent this year
Police say protests following the killing of George Floyd by officer Derek Chauvin have fueled anti-police sentiment by defunding the police
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old officer from Queens described the situation as “unbearable” and said he plans to leave as soon as possible.
Anti-police sentiment and the defunding of the police movement that has emerged since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin has also been blamed for the resignation.
Attacks on police have increased by 25 percent this year, with 1,731 attacks reported.
Among them was an NYPD officer who was brutally beaten after asking two men to stop smoking in a Bronx subway station.
Kareem McClary, 23, and Izayiah Jessamy, 20, were released without bail by a judge on Nov. 14 because neither had a criminal record.
Hendry previously blamed anti-police activists and the lack of consequences for the attacks for the dramatic spike.