New York Mayor Eric Adams called for an increase in the number of police officers in his city following a ruse in crime. The mayor’s comments come after a wave of exits from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) after 2020.
Adams told MSNBC that the city could “use more” officers, saying that he was “very clear on that.”
“The numbers are down, but based on the numbers, no one does it better than the New York Police Department,” the mayor said.
Since the riots following the 2020 death of George Floyd, the NYPD’s ranks have declined by more than 2,000. This includes hundreds of resignations and more than 1,000 retirements.
Why is @NYPDnews short thousands of cops?
It isn’t just the budget — there is funding for +1,400 additional officers.
And it isn’t just recruitment — we’re on pace to lose 3,000 cops again this year.
NYC must invest to keep the Finest on the job.https://t.co/iIFPcD2Z5v
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) October 17, 2023
“We must start recruiting young people to get back into the profession of law enforcement,” Adams, a former NYPD officer, said.
Adams also said that there was a “law enforcement crisis across the country.”
The mayor’s calls for more police come after a number of New York City activists and politicians called for the defunding of the NYPD. However, there has been more support for police funding over the last year than in the previous several.
Since 2020, New York has seen a significant increase in both violent and property crime. This includes a hike in the number of car thefts, as well as attacks against women.
There has also been a wave of attacks and robberies on the New York City subway, including some that appear to target Asian Americans.
The NYPD also played a major role in keeping the peace during dueling rallies in Manhattan following the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. The city’s police have stepped up security around a number of Jewish cultural sites, including synagogues.
New York’s issues with police and crime are similar to those of a number of other major cities in the country. Recruiting issues have followed protests against police actions, as well as retirements similar to that of New York.
Furthermore, many major cities in the nation have also found a similar increase in crime since 2020.
