New York Police Department officers are retiring at a staggering rate amid a crime surge in the city and growing tensions with Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Hill reported Thursday.
In the last week, 179 NYPD officers have filed for retirement, which marks a 411% increase from 2019’s 35, according to the Hill.
The retirements follow violent riots that roiled the city, De Blasio’s decision to slash the NYPD budget and the decision to disband the anti-crime unit. Soon after the unit’s 600 plainclothes officers were reassigned to new roles, shootings in the city surged by more than 358% in mid-June. (RELATED: New York City Shootings Surge 358% Compared To Last Year Amid Disbanding Of Anti-Crime Police Unit)
NYC in the last month saw a 204% increase in shooting victims. @NYPDPBMN, primarily in Harlem, saw an increase of 345% in gun violence victims. The Bronx 167%. Brooklyn North 175%. Brooklyn South 291%. @NYPDPBMS 100%. Queens North 133%. Queens South 267%. Staten Island 133%. pic.twitter.com/rqXnNKxR9r
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) July 8, 2020
The protests began the week of May 25, the day George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Since that date, 503 NYPD officers have filed for retirement, a 75% increase from the 287 a year prior.
809 cops have filed for retirement, compared to 287 during the same time period last year. That’s almost 1,000 less officers to keep us safe and battle gun violence that is skyrocketing. There is also no new police academy class in sight. Less officers means more violence. pic.twitter.com/GszotHypfh
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) July 8, 2020
“While the decision to retire is a personal one and can be attributed to a range of factors, it is a troubling trend that we are closely monitoring,” NYPD Sgt. Mary Frances O’Donnell, a spokesperson for the NYPD deputy commissioner, told CNN.
O’Donnell told CNN that when someone retired, the pension section sends a notice of who filed for retirement. What is usually a page or two at the most has become 6 pages of notices.
“Of course, cops are retiring at a higher rate,” Chris Monahan, president of the Captains Endowment Association, told CNN. “We’ve been abandoned by the NYPD and elected officials.”