NYPD Retirement Filings Surge 400% Amid Soaring Crime Rates in City
Retirement filings come amid cuts in funding to police
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Officers in the New York City Police Department are filing for retirement at such a rapid rate that the department has placed limits on it.
Neon Nettle reported in June that almost 300 officers filed for retirement amid soaring crimes rate in the city, according to figures released to the New York Post.
But the number of retirement filing surged in recent weeks and quadrupled in the past week.
The surge caused a bottleneck, which prompted the filings to be delayed.
So far, a total of 503 officers have filed for retirement between the day George Floyd died and last Friday.
That figure represents a 411% increase from last year,
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The New York Post reported that a line of officers was spotted outside the office where police officers file for retirement,
One officer said:
“Apparently, the pension section is only taking a certain amount of people per day, and I think they are backed up till late July, early August.”
“That’s why you don’t see like 100 a day, because they are only doing like 35 to 40 a day, by appointment.”
The relationship between police and city leadership has faced extreme pressure following the death of Floyd.
Rep. Zeldin Calls for Mayor de Blasio to be 'Removed from Office' to 'Save' New York
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) July 9, 2020
READ MORE: https://t.co/zhE48Deil3
Last month, New York City's Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he is slashing funds from the NYPD's $6 billion budget and, instead, diverting the money to social services.
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"We need to do a lot more for our young people," de Blasio said during a press conference.
"We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services."
On Tuesday, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea blasted de Blasio over the recent surge in violent crime.
Shea called New York City's recent spike in violence "predictable," considering police budgets have been slashed, and 2,500 inmates have been released from Rikers Island prison.
The police commissioner's comments came after the Big Apple saw 63 people shot, at least 11 fatally, in 44 shootings separate shootings over the holiday weekend.
"You'll see in the City Council, [a] bow to mob rule," Shea said.
"And let's mark the date on the calendar and how long it's going to be before we're having a conversation about New York is crying out for more police."
"And I think that day has come."
