New York City, known for its Democratic governance, faces a wave of police officers retiring early. This mass departure occurs when the crime rates in the city are soaring, and the Police Commissioner’s sudden resignation remains a mystery.
New York City police officers have simply had enough of the Democrat-controlled dumpster fire of a city. And now, they're leaving in droves as the Biden crime wave surges under Democrat-controlled soft-on-crime policies. https://t.co/QrwT7XO2bm
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 10, 2023
New York Police Department’s (NYPD) pension records indicate a surprising trend: 648 officers opted for an early exit in the first half of 2023. This statistic hints at a growing wave of officers leaving their posts early.
This is a jump of 22% compared to the same timeframe in 2022, when 530 officers hung up their hats. If we roll back to the first half of 2020, the increase is a staggering 87% compared to the 347 officers who retired early then, as The New York Post reported.
This mass exit and recruitment challenges have left the NYPD, which once boasted a strength of 34,000, short of over 1,000 officers.
Police Benevolent Association President, Patrick Hendry, explained the situation: “Our officers are feeling pressured from all sides. They’re facing massive amounts of forced overtime. On the one hand, the management is pushing for stricter enforcement; on the other, there’s immense pressure from police-oversight groups aiming to hold more officers accountable.”
According to Hendry, the NYPD should be more supportive of the officers who choose to stay, as many might find it challenging to balance the job’s risks and rewards, especially when they don’t feel adequately compensated.
The rising hostility towards police officers, changes in bail reform, and the increasing crime rates are stoking dissatisfaction within the police force, as The Post points out.
Citing insider sources, The Post also reported that the increasing pressure from the NYC city council and police watchdogs had contributed significantly to the officers’ decision to leave their posts.
Worryingly, recent data shows that police officers in the NYPD have faced 32% more injuries in the first half of 2023 than in 2022 due to rampant crime.
In a conversation with Fox 5 in March, a New York resident voiced her fear, “It’s unbelievable. You don’t feel safe even walking on the streets. The threat of violence, be it from a gun or a knife, has made us wary of even using the subway.”
Adding to the city’s woes, Keechant Sewell, the first black woman to serve as the NYPD Commissioner, resigned last month without publically stating a reason, as reported by a June 14 NBC News report.
Before the current state, New York City experienced Republican governance from 1994 to 2006 under Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg.
