Mayor Eric Adams says New York City needs more cops after years of officers leaving the department.
“We can use more,” Adams said on the “Morning Joe” program on MSNBC Monday. “I’m 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 NYPD has lost more than 2,000 uniformed officers over the last few years as the pandemic and anti-cop sentiment during the Black Lives Matter protests caused many to reconsider the job and resign or retire.
Prior to the pandemic, the city had about 36,000 uniformed officers, but that figure has dropped to 33,582, according to NYPD data.
There have been 613 resignations and 1,042 retirements at the NYPD through mid-August, according to the latest data available.
This year’s pace, though, appears to show the city has slowed the bleed of staffing from the department after last year’s record of more than 3,700 departures.
Adams said it’s crucial for the department to focus on recruitment.
“We must start recruiting young people to get back into the profession of law enforcement,” the mayor said.
“I think we have a law enforcement crisis across the country,” he added, highlighting that the issue isn’t just a local problem.
Ari Kagan, the Dem-turned-Republican Brooklyn councilman, echoed Adams’ calls for more cops, telling The Post there are “clearly not enough officers in New York City.”
“I strongly believe we do not have enough officers in New York City,” said Kagan, who took heat for voting no on the last budget that saw a $320 million increase in police spending.
The councilman justified his no vote Monday by saying it was due to the lack of additional funding to hire more cops.
