With City in Crisis, Governor Cuomo Unveils First Plank of Public Safety Plan: 15% Increase In NYPD Ranks
Costs to Be Offset By Reduced Overtime; Plan Will Also Reduce Burnout Among Rank and File
The city is in crisis, the public has lost confidence in its government and in order to regain it, public safety must be job one.
Today at the historic Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, a candidate for New York City Mayor, today unveiled the first plank of his public safety platform: hire an additional 5,000 members of the NYPD. The new officers would increase the overall size of the police force by 15 percent – bringing its total size to a near all time high of approximately 39,000 – reversing years of decline in the NYPD ranks.
This proposal – a key plank of the Governor’s larger Public Safety Plan to be unveiled in the coming days – would substantially increase the ranks of the NYPD, improving public safety, enhancing response times, and helping ensure that the department has the manpower necessary to effectively combat crime.
“The city is in crisis, the public has lost confidence in its government and in order to regain it, public safety must be job one,” Governor Cuomo said. “The NYPD is now smaller than it was during the Dinkins administration, yet there are now 1 million more people who call New York City home. It makes no sense on its face, and –even worse – in the recent past, extremist DSA politicians not only cut police funding – they pounded their chest while they were doing it. This madness must end, and this plan will help reverse this dangerous trend and give the NYPD the resources it needs to do their job.”
Much of the cost of these new officers will be offset by the reduced need for overtime – and ending mandatory overtime. Governor Cuomo unveiled this plan during an address to congregants Sunday morning at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem.
In 2019, Governor Cuomo successfully fought to hire 500 new MTA officers amid increased crime in the subways, over the objection of the de Blasio administration, who refused to deploy officers on their own, and other democratic socialist elected officials.
The NYPD headcount stands at 34,100 officers as of this past January. Under Mayor Dinkins’s Safe Streets/Safe City initiative in the early 1990s police ranks increased to 38,438. As of 1993, the last year of the Dinkins administration, the overall population of New York City stood at 7.3 million - today its 8.26 million
The need for scaling up law enforcement personnel is underscored by the increased demand for policing in areas of New York City that have been identified as “urban crime zones,” including the Eighth Avenue corridor between Penn Station and Times Square and the Roosevelt Avenue stretch in Queens. With more officers, the NYPD would be better positioned to intensively staff these high-priority areas and ensure a stronger, more visible presence throughout the city resulting in driving crime down.
Reducing Over Time and Improving Officer Retention
One of the key fiscal benefits of the plan is its potential to pay for itself through a significant reduction in overtime costs. In 2024, the NYPD spent approximately $1 billion on overtime — far exceeding its original budget allocation. By cutting overtime in half, New York City could offset the cost of hiring an additional 5,000 officers. More importantly, reducing overtime would help combat the attrition rates currently plaguing the department. The NYPD has seen a sharp increase in officer turnover, with more than 2,500 officers leaving the force in 2023 alone. This marks a 40 percent increase in attrition rates since 2018, with many officers resigning before reaching the 20-year mark for full pension benefits. Governor Cuomo’s plan addresses this challenge by providing the department with the manpower it needs to reduce burnout, create better work-life balance, and significantly lower mandatory overtime — one of the key drivers of officer dissatisfaction and attrition.
Improving Morale and Job Satisfaction
Addressing the root causes of high turnover, Governor Cuomo's plan also emphasizes the importance of improving police morale. A recent study from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice identified poor job satisfaction and lack of job autonomy as key contributors to police attrition. The proposal includes initiatives that would give officers more autonomy in their work, allowing for greater community engagement through problem-oriented policing strategies. While the NYPD offers a competitive base salary of $121,589 after 5.5 years of service, starting salaries of $58,580 are insufficient given the demanding nature of policing in New York City. To address this, Governor Cuomo advocates for policies that would increase step increases for years of service, thereby offering a more attractive long-term career path for officers.
Fighting to Save Our City
With a larger, more stable police force, the city will be better equipped to handle increasing public safety demands, provide essential community services, and build stronger relationships between officers and the communities they serve. Governor Cuomo's proposal is a comprehensive approach to building a safer, more secure New York, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the quality of life for all residents.
Throughout his career in public service, Governor Cuomo has been a champion for working New Yorkers, raising wages for millions of workers, passing the strongest gun violence prevention and paid family leave laws in the nation, advancing the most substantial infrastructure program in a generation, including the Second Avenue Subway, the Moynihan Train Hall, the new Kosciuszko Bridge and the new JFK and LaGuardia airports and codifying Roe vs. Wade in state law years before the Supreme Court overturned it, all while cutting taxes and reining in spending.
Governor Cuomo’s Record on Increased Police Presence in New York City
Deployment to Transit Hubs
- In 2017, Cuomo quadrupled the number of state troopers assigned to New York City, bringing the number from about 50 officers in 2015 to nearly 200 by early 2017ny of these officers were stationed at Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, with some patrolling subway stations in coordination with the MTA Police and NYPD.
- This was part of a broader initiative to enhance security at major transit hubs, prompted by concerns over terrorism, quality-of-life issues, and fare evasion.
Expanded MTA Policing Role
- In 2019, Cuomo ordered the deployment of 500 additional law enforcement officers (a mix of NYPD, MTA Police, and State Troopers) to the subway system to combat fare evasion, homelessness, and crime.
- These officers were from MTA Police, state troopers were also included in this surge and began patrolling more parts of the subway system, marking a significant shift in how state law enforcement operated in New York City.
- The governor did this to help confront increased fare evasion, crime, and safety concerns in the transit system.
Security Measures After Terror Attacks & Protests
- Following terror-related incidents (such as the 2017 Port Authority bombing and 2016 Chelsea bombing), Cuomo repeatedly surged state troopers and National Guard members into New York City transit hubs.
- During the protests during the summer of 2020, Governor Cuomo also deployed state troopers to assist with crowd control and prevent looting, further increasing their presence in the city.
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