Mayor Eric Adams will reinstate the next two NYPD classes — adding 1,600 cops to the ranks by next fall — after they were axed by painful budget cuts to cover the migrant crisis.
Eric Adams holds an in-person media availability at City Hall, highlighting critical issues including public safety, police reforms, and educational advancements. Luiz Rampelotto/ZUMA Press Wire / SplashNews.comThe rookie cop restoration was unveiled Wednesday as part of a $115 billion modified city budget that, beyond expanded funds for public safety, included millions toward cash assistance for needy New Yorkers, housing vouchers and more.
“The November plan invests in New Yorkers and aims to make their lives easier by prioritizing the services they need,” Adams said.
Adams said the mid-year budget adjustment rolls back draconian slashes to important city services he blamed on a $6.4 billion hole caused by an influx of asylum seekers into the Big Apple – a cut-and-reverse maneuver he has taken several times during the migrant crisis.
For the mayor whose many mantras include “public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity,” the $140 million restoration to the NYPD’s budget for its next two classes in January and April 2025 may be the most significant.
Adams had nixed the classes amid a spate of budget cuts last year to offset the massive cost of asylum seekers needing food, shelter and other aid.
The long-awaited infusion of cops – slated to take the streets in October next year – will swell the NYPD’s ranks to nearly 34,000 officers, just 1,000 cops shy of what police officials say they need, Adams said.
Other restorations to public safety include $5.3 million for New York City’s sheriff’s electronic ankle monitoring program, $4.7 million toward Department of Correction efforts to reduce recidivism and $1 million for the city’s ongoing illegal cannabis crackdown, officials said.
Adams also highlighted nearly $468 million toward the city’s cash assistance program serving 570,000 children and adults who need help with paying for housing, food and utilities.
He said the city will add $115 million toward the city’s housing voucher program.
The plan reflects $201 million in additional tax revenue since the budget was adopted in July, officials said.
