From the Gotham Gazette:According to Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., chair of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, the city will soon see a police headcount that rivals the 1990s.
Reminder: Crime in the 90s was way, way up (In 2008, crime was down nearly 78 percent from 1990).
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the City Council this morning that the city could see a peak police headcount of 35,707 officers this year, including a police class this summer of 250. In the mayor’s preliminary budget, the January 2010 class has been eliminated. Under less dire economic circumstances, the city would have two, 1,000 member police classes annually.
This revelation did not sit well with Vallone, who said, under these circumstances, the police headcount could go as low as 33,200 officers. Kelly said the department currently had 5,000 fewer officers than in 2001.
18 comments:
This at a time when the population is more freaked out and stressed than ever and domestic abuse, thefts, disgruntled employees are on the rise. Not the mention the terrorist threat.
Police should bring back the original slogan coined during the New York Draft riots, "Faithful unto Death."
Pray that we lose as few lives as possible among our police, firemen and the general public because of understaffing.
Unfortunately, this problem is worse than they are stating. Precincts are still carrying personnel on their rosters who are out on pre-retirement leave, people who are "temporarily assigned" (transferred) to other units, and those out sick. To clarify, these people are being counted, but aren't physically present to perform their duties. In some cases, like the "temporarily assigned" people, they may actually be counted twice, both in their former and present commands.
No mention in the article that 35,000 cops us FOUR TIMES as many as Los Angeles and over three times as many as the FBI has agents??
This city spends enough absolute dollars on police.. Time to trim the fat and get rid of some donut eaters
Maybe that is why we have better crime statistics than many of these cities.
As far as the FBI goes, the New York City police was the premier police force in the nation for a good part of its history and set the standard for excellent work long before the FBI, Secret Service, or any other Federal police service existed.
"...the New York City police was the premier police force in the nation for a good part of its history..."
On the surface, maybe but:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapp_Commission
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollen_Commission
..and most recently our "Finest" have cost us:
http://gothamist.com/2009/03/12/nypd_paid_35_million_to_settle_laws.php
As for driving down crime, it was never about the number of officers, it's tactics.
After the Knapp Commission's findings of massive corruption police were turned de-facto into a reactionary force, most were taken off the "beat' where it was believed they could easily be corrupted. Instead they responded and patrolled via cruisers mostly after the fact.
Add to this, the changing racial demographics and transitioning economy of this city..you got the 1970's.
I worked in the theater industry during the 80s-early 90s -the bad years of crack, gangs and rampant prostitution. The Broadway theater was essentially a cocoon in the middle of chaos. Visitors would park, eat, see the show and leave, all without going more than a block or two from the theater..it was dangerous and they knew it.
I could tell -alot- of carrying a piece black iron pipe for protection when I left work and headed for the Market Diner on 43rd/11th. The side streets were alive with drugs and hookers servicing clients in cars and doorways.
During this era the number of officers grew to pre-default levels..but nothing was done about the situations where I worked.
It wasn't until the Giuliani/Bratton era that precinct commanders were held accountable and crime actually declined.
Again, it's not about numbers..it's tactics and responsibility.
re:
"As far as the FBI goes, the New York City police was the premier police force in the nation for a good part of its history and set the standard for excellent work long before the FBI, Secret Service, or any other Federal police service existed"
NOT Quite - The Postal Inspectors were formed 1829, NYPD 1845, so I think they were using standards that predate the NYPD
The Grafetti has already started on the trains.
We will soom be back in 1977 only with 3 million more criminals looking to steal anything they can to live.
Thats why the Goverment has created FEMA camps, and thousands of railroad cars with shackles.
The next step is to regester all the legel guns and ammo.
This way when the shit hits the fan they have your name & address and can come to your door.
Its called the (National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive NSPD 51 and newest HSPD 20.
Obama has not recended it, not even a peep.
Basicly it means the govermant can call whatever it wants an Emergency and suspend the constution, take your guns, fuel, food, livestock, water and YOU !
The govermenty must see or have somthing planned really bad coming and they are not telling us .
Get accustomed to the words "federalized" "voucher" "check points" "dissident" "rogue bloggers" "Hate websights" because you're going to start hearing them a lot.
If you ever wondered how the old Soviet Union allowed themselves to fall so far into totalitarianism and become prisoners, Or how the Roman Empire became a mongrilized poverty & illness stricken mess that fell overnight you will understand real soon.
This is just mu opinion but I think i'm right !!
Oh, no! Fewer cops to harass photographers on train platforms!
We spend enough on these donut eating slobs
LAPD has 10,000 cops protecting a population of 3.8 million.
NYC has population is 8.3 million in an area 3/5 the size as L.A., PLUS a vast underground mass transit system, high-rise public housing projects, and countless prime terrorist targets.
Do the math.
Your "math" does nothing to explain why we need near 4times as many police officers fir twice as many people in 60% of the space
The FBI has less than 10,000 agents tasked with enforcing law for 300 million people in an area endlessly larger than the size of NYc
Boomturd will lay off 450 civilians to be replaced by cops at twice the price!?!?!?!? Oh and all you cop hating massive liberals and urban pioneers,please don't call 911 when you need help,you snivelling coward pussies.
Don't need 'em.
My piece is cocked & locked and ready to go!
Who wants to wait for a tardy 911
response?
Only Superman is faster than a speeding bullet!
"Cocked & locked"
Ammo is flying off the shelves faster then any time in history.
The factorys cant keep up with the demand.
When the shit hits the fan the cops will all be home protecting their own familys and food supply.
Smart people know this, the rest are just sticking their heads in the sand.
I hope that visits to the local range are skyrocketing as well. Nothing is worse than a would-be Rambo who shoots cockeyed. Enrollment in basic gun education wouldn't hurt either.
I for one don't want to killed by some freak with a gun. Owning a piece is a serious commitment, not glamour.
Apparently the cops can shoot either. The Mayor and his buddy Kelly have them on a leash of "Political Correctness and in-sensitivity.
They cops go to the range far less the gun owners.
When ever they use their guns stray bullets usually go everyplace.
Gun laws LOL.
..Look at what happened upstate.
How does an Illegal from Vietnam register a gun with his sisters (who is a female) ID ?
I'm not sure that the new weaponry helps either. In the Wall Street area police are carrying Colt Subsonics which I have been told are full automatics.
I wonder how they can avoid mowing down more civilians than terrorists if a gun battle takes place in such a busy area?
I for one would feel much safer with a few top-notch snipers around. I hope that they are present too.
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