State Chapters > NY/NJ

Police overtime set to soar to record $740M as NYPD faces staffing crunch

(1/1)

Kamaji:
Police overtime set to soar to record $740M as NYPD faces staffing crunch

By Craig McCarthy
March 20, 2023

Police overtime is projected to hit $740 million this fiscal year — nearly double the NYPD’s extra-duty budget and the highest level seen in the last decade, officials said Monday.

The department has already surpassed the $374 million allocated by the City Council for overtime by nearly $100 million as of February, with four months still remaining in the 2023 fiscal year, according to a new report by City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and other NYPD brass defended the spending during a lengthy committee budget hearing Monday, telling councilmembers the department’s dwindling headcount warranted the extra pay.

Sewell conceded that the level of overtime “is not sustainable in the long term,” but said it has been needed to bridge the gap in shifts left by a dwindling police force.

As of last month, the NYPD’s staffing came in at 34,017 — down nearly 900 from last year. It has dropped more than 2,500 from the peak of 2019, when the department employed 36,717 uniformed officers, according to the comptroller’s report.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/03/20/nypd-ot-to-soar-to-record-highs-as-it-faces-staffing-crunch/

Navigation

[0] Message Index