This month, 1,093 new recruits were sworn into the NYPD Police Academy. That historic number, combined with nearly 1,000 cadets who graduated just last month and another class expected by year’s end, makes 2025 the largest year of new hires since 2006. New York is making a clear and welcome investment in its police force.
But police are only one part of our city’s public safety ecosystem. Without sufficient investment in probation, we risk undermining the very progress these new hires are meant to achieve.
Probation officers are often the unsung heroes of public safety. They supervise thousands of individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system, ensuring compliance with court orders while helping people rebuild their lives. Unlike other law enforcement roles, probation balances accountability with rehabilitation — keeping neighborhoods safe while giving second chances.
Probation officers are peace officers, trained alongside police and correction officers. They carry firearms, make arrests, and respond to public safety concerns. At the same time, they are counselors and community connectors, helping people find jobs, pursue education, and reconnect with their families. In short: probation is where enforcement meets hope.
Just as importantly, probation officers prepare investigation reports that aid judges in sentencing decisions — whether someone should be placed under supervision or incarcerated.
Yet New York City’s probation officers have been stretched beyond their limits.
According to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the Department of Probation has the highest attrition rate of any city agency. In the past two years, more than 200 officers have left, while only 91 were hired. Each departure means dozens of cases reassigned to officers already carrying crushing caseloads.
In Family Court, some officers manage more than 40 cases. In Queens, adult supervision officers carry more than 100. Investigations and violations are rising. Morale is at rock bottom. Burnout is rampant. The department is hemorrhaging talent and losing institutional knowledge.
High turnover forces clients to bounce from one officer to another, disrupting the stability they need to turn their lives around. Overloaded caseloads leave officers with less time to monitor compliance, connect people with resources, and intervene before someone slips back into crime.
Hiring more police officers increases the need for more probation officers. Every arrest and every court case generates more work for probation. Without more probation officers, we risk creating a bottleneck that undermines both public safety and rehabilitation.
Probation is one of the most cost-effective tools we have to reduce recidivism while keeping communities safe. Studies consistently show that people who receive support — employment help, education, treatment — are less likely to reoffend. Probation officers are the professionals who make that support possible.
But we cannot expect them to succeed if they are underpaid, overworked, and undervalued. Probation officers earn significantly less than their NYPD or Department of Correction counterparts, despite similar training and responsibilities. This combined with poor working conditions and limited advancement, drives people away.
The city must make hiring and retention an urgent priority. Civil service lists are filled with qualified candidates, yet probation academies have been canceled and vacancies keep growing. The first step is simple: start hiring now.
Equally important is keeping the officers we already have. Attrition will not slow unless the city invests in competitive salaries and better working conditions. Closing the pay gap with other law enforcement professions is critical to making probation a viable long-term career.
Workplace improvements are also essential. Manageable caseloads, safe office conditions, reliable vehicles, and fair schedules are not luxuries — they are the foundation of effective public safety. By addressing these core issues, the city can stem departures, restore morale, and build a probation system strong enough to match its investment in policing.
The NYPD’s new recruits are only one piece of the puzzle. If we truly want safer streets and stronger communities, we must also invest in the people who stand at the intersection of enforcement and rehabilitation: our probation officers.
Failing to do so will leave us with more arrests, more cases, and more strain on an already overburdened system. Hiring more police while neglecting probation is like building a bigger dam without reinforcing the levees downstream. Eventually, the system will break.
Probation officers are asking for help — not for themselves alone, but for the communities they serve and the people they guide toward second chances. New York cannot afford to ignore them any longer.
Powell is the president of the United Probation Officers Association.
