Outgoing Mayor Adams has finalized a plan that would secure funding to significantly increase the NYPD’s headcount, potentially leaving his successor with upwards of 40,000 police officers by 2029, officials said on Friday.
Under Adams’ plan, hammered out on Friday, the city will invest millions in the coming years to hire and train more than 5,000 new officers.
The increase in manpower will bring the department up to 40,000 cops, the highest level in 20 years, Adams said.
The additional cops will be hitting the streets long after next week’s mayoral election, where Democratic Socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is leading a three-man race that includes former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
During the campaign, Mamdani has said, if elected, he would keep NYPD staffing levels flat and launch a new city agency that would handle mental health calls that cops currently address as part of their responsibilities.
Adam’s plan calls for the NYPD to get $17.8 million in the upcoming fiscal year to hire more cops, officials said. That number will increase to $318.5 million by fiscal year 2029 to support additional hiring.
“Our administration has always been guided by the belief that public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity, and over the last four years — as we’ve driven crime down to record lows — we’ve proven that the price for our safety is well worth it,” Mayor Adams said in a statement while announcing the additional funding, adding that “the vast majority of New Yorkers want more police officers on their streets and in their subways.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a long supporter of increasing the NYPD’s headcount, applauded the measure.
“Every new officer means safer streets, stronger communities, and a thriving city,” Tisch said. “This commitment allows us to keep recruiting, training, and deploying the next generation of women and men to build on our success.”
In August, nearly 1,100 recruits were sworn in at the Police Academy, which Tisch said was the largest class the department has seen “in nearly a decade.”
Those recruits are expected to graduate the academy early next year.
The new class comes after the NYPD earlier this year reduced the number of college credits required to join the force from 60 to 24.
