Cops are quitting New York City‘s police force in droves with more than 2,500 officers leaving just this year.
A total of 2,516 NYPD officers have left so far this year, the fourth highest in the past 10 years, according to NYPD pension data obtained by the New York Post.
The number also 43% higher than the 1,750 cops who left the force in 2018.
More cops are quitting before they get their pensions, too. Back in 2020, about 509 officers quit before the 20 years on the force they need to get their full pension. This year, 1,040 officers below the 20-year mark have quit already, a 104% increase, and the year is not even over.
“The workload is a leading factor driving people away from the job,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said. “If the NYPD is going to survive these staffing reductions, it cannot just keep squeezing cops for more hours.”
Over just two days in February, 21 officers left the force for the MTA, the Post reported.
In June, former NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell stepped down, reportedly due to tension with the mayor’s office.
The mass exodus comes as the police department faces drastic budget cuts due to the city’s illegal migrant crisis.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the budget cuts earlier this month. The NYPD will be slashed to just 29,000 cops by September, 2025, the lowest level in over two decades. The next five Police Academy classes have also been canceled as part of the cuts.
Also this year, the NYPD lowered its fitness standards to bring more women onto the force, a decision the mayor reportedly had to approve.
Last month, however, Adams admitted that the city needs more cops.
“We can use more,” Adams told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I’m very clear on that.”
The mayor added that he believes the problem extends beyond New York City and that “we have a law enforcement crisis across the country.”
In fact, other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and Nashville, have also struggled with a police shortage in recent years.
Many in law enforcement say departments are suffering from flagging morale thanks to a wave of anti-police sentiment that peaked with the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. In some cases, city councils have slashed police budgets, leaving some police chiefs feeling abandoned as they are stretched thin trying to keep residents safe.
Resignations among cops were up 47% last year over 2019, and retirements were up 19% among 200 police forces surveyed by the Police Executive Research Forum.