When Jason decided to join the NYPD in the early 2000s, he did it because he wanted to chase down bad guys, seek justice for vulnerable crime victims and above all, help the people who needed it the most.
But these days, the longtime cop has become disillusioned with the job, and he’s counting down the days until he can hang up his badge and retire.
“I hate it, I can’t speak enough terrible things about it,” Jason told The Post during a recent interview.
“I want to actually be free, free of this mental abuse that I’ve been through. I don’t wish this profession upon anyone.”
The Post spoke with 14 current members of the NYPD, including patrol cops, detectives, sergeants and lieutenants spanning a wide range of ethnicities and time on the force, who painted a picture of a department in crisis.
While anti-police sentiment, criminal justice reforms and progressive politicians are frequent explanations for the crisis given by police unions and NYPD brass, the officers interviewed for this story say their primary issues with the job come from within.
Those problems stem from mismanagement and nepotism throughout the department, being held to unrealistic expectations, answering to a revolving door of out-of-touch chiefs and working among a force that’s turned its back on itself.
“You’re abused by your own brothers and sisters in blue and harassed to the point of having thoughts of suicide, then have to deal with the hate from the community while still dealing with everyday life stresses,” said Mark, an NYPD cop.
“I hate this job.”
Since 2020, a staggering 9,180 officers have left the job – 36% of whom quit before they were eligible for their full pension – and the NYPD is on pace to see more than 4,000 cops retire or resign this year.
As of Sept. 30, 1,628 officers have retired and another 1,426 quit, the most resignations seen since the post-Sept. 11 exodus in 2002 — and more than 2019 and 2020 combined.
The NYPD is so desperate to stem the bleeding, community affairs officers have been knocking on the doors of people who passed the exam but never moved forward with the hiring process to encourage them to join the academy.
“It’s one thing to have a recruitment problem, and it’s one thing to have a retention problem,” said John, who works in a busy Big Apple precinct.
“When you have both, it’s just a perfect storm for f–king disaster.”
7 comments:
Liberals are why we can't have nice things.
Well just sit home like the rest of the New Yorkers and collect a check and benefits each month from the State and the government. You try to do the right thing and get a job but as you can see that isn't the way to go.
UBI for the Sheeple !
Don't kid yourself -The Job never cared, The Brass don't care about the rank and file. NYPD has a history of letting cops drink themselves to death or keep them on working with wet brains. The Brass only sees the battered wives and abused children of cops as a mere annoyance to be swept under the desk. NYPD doesn't want the bad publicity.
Ask Thomas Valva's mother how that works.
The best kept open secret in NYC is the high rate of suicide, alcoholism & drug addiction among NYPD cops.
This is a dirty filthy job and you get no thanks for saving people's lives.
The City has to do better for our first responders and for the people who put their lives on the line in the course of their work day.
Staring at your phone all day can cause depression. So I hear anyway.
My precinct refuses to address any issues brought to their attention, so i do not care if they quit. No pension, no welfare, no annuity. You leave you recieve no benefits and the money is returned as a property tax credit to my district 22. Are you listening Tiffany? DI Gorman?
Having a target on your back can cause depression. Criminals with more rights than cops can cause depression. So I hear anyway.
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