New York City police officers are leaving the force in growing numbers, with morale sinking ahead of socialist Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral inauguration, according to the New York Post. NYPD figures show a 35 per cent rise in officer departures in October, with 245 officers quitting compared to 181 in the same month last year, according to Police Pension Fund data.
“Morale is down because everyone is concerned about the policies Mamdani wants to put in place,” said Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro. “You have a person who is supposed to be running New York City that does not believe in law enforcement. What’s coming out of everyone’s mouth is, ‘We’re in trouble.’”The Police Benevolent Association warned that attrition could worsen. “Every single month, we’re losing enough cops to staff an entire precinct,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said. “It will certainly get worse if our city leaders don’t work with us to fix our unsustainable workload, our expired contract and the constant second-guessing that is driving good cops away from the job.”
Workforce in numbers
New hires have helped cover up some losses. The NYPD has recruited 2,911 new officers this year, the highest in a single year since 2006, with the next class scheduled for December. The department currently has 33,745 uniformed officers, down slightly from 33,812 in 2024. Peak staffing was 40,285 in 2000, according to Independent Budget Office data.Concerns are mounting that Mamdani’s proposed reforms could further strain the force. The mayor-elect wants to create a Department of Community Safety to dispatch mental health professionals to crisis calls and shift disciplinary power to the Civilian Complaint Review Board.“How’s that going to work when the person pulls out a gun or a knife?” a Bronx cop asked.Former and current officers voiced frustration at Mamdani’s past comments calling cops racist and homophobic. “How do you work for somebody who considers you racist and anti-queer and wants to defund the police? Things are hard enough already. If you’re eligible to leave, why would you want to stay in that situation?” said a retired officer.A police union consultant warned recruitment could become increasingly difficult. “Nobody wants to be a New York City cop. It’s not worth the money, the stress, the danger, especially working for a mayor who wants to take the department apart,” the source told the New York Post.
