In the wake of socialist Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral race, the New York Police Department (NYPD) is witnessing an alarming exodus of officers.
The trend, which began even before Mamdani's win, has seen a significant increase in the number of officers leaving the force. The potential departure of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch could further exacerbate the situation, according to department insiders and recent data.
As reported by The New York Post, the NYPD experienced a 35% increase in officer departures in October, with 245 officers leaving compared to 181 in the same month the previous year. This data, sourced from the Police Pension Fund, paints a worrying picture of the state of the NYPD.
Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro expressed his concerns about the situation, stating, Morale is down because everyone is concerned about the policies Mamdani wants to put in place. Munro, a veteran officer with over three decades of service, added, You have a person who is supposed to be running New York City that does not believe in law enforcement. Whats coming out of everyones mouth is, Were in trouble.'"
The future of the NYPD, particularly whether more officers will leave, hinges on what has been termed the "Tisch factor," according to a police union source. The source suggested that if Tisch were to leave her position, the department could see an uptick in departures.
The Police Benevolent Association (PBA), which is due to negotiate a new contract with Mamdani, expressed concerns that the number of officers leaving could escalate. PBA President Patrick Hendry warned, Every single month, were losing enough cops to staff an entire precinct. He added that the situation could worsen if city leaders fail to address the unsustainable workload, expired contract, and constant second-guessing that is driving good officers away from the job.
Despite the departures, new hires have so far enabled the NYPD to maintain its numbers. The department currently has a uniformed headcount of 33,745, slightly lower than the 33,812 in 2024. However, this is significantly lower than the peak staffing of 40,285 in 2000.
One of the most significant departures since Mamdani's election is Deputy Chief John DAdamo, the head of the Strategic Response Group (SRG). The SRG, which polices protests and has been criticized by Mamdani, saw its officers deployed to the 2024 anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. The left has attempted to portray the SRG as the issue, rather than the protesters who incited chaos.
Mamdani's proposed policies have also contributed to the declining morale among officers. He has suggested creating a new Department of Community Safety (DCS) that would dispatch mental health professionals to 911 calls about people in crisis, instead of police officers. This proposal has raised concerns among officers about potential dangers.
Furthermore, Mamdani intends to transfer final authority on officer discipline from the commissioner to the ultra-liberal Civilian Complaint Review Board. This move has been met with criticism, with a recently retired officer describing the board as a "kangaroo court."
Mamdani's past comments, in which he labeled officers as racist and homophobic, have also fueled discontent among the NYPD ranks, despite his subsequent apology. A retired officer questioned, How do you work for somebody who considers you racist and anti-queer and wants to defund the police?
An anonymous police union consultant warned that recruitment for the NYPD will become increasingly challenging under Mamdani's leadership. The source stated, Nobody wants to be a New York City cop. Its not worth the money, the stress, the danger, especially working for a mayor who wants to take the department apart.
The NYPD's future hangs in the balance as it grapples with a surge in officer departures, a potential leadership change, and a new mayor whose policies have been met with widespread concern and criticism. The city's safety and security may well depend on how these challenges are addressed in the coming months.
Login