Metro

Mayor Adams says he’s not worried about cops leaving NYPD in record numbers

Mayor Eric Adams insisted Monday he’s not worried about police officers leaving the NYPD in droves this year — declaring that being a Big Apple cop is an “amazing career,” and that the departures present a chance to “diversify” the force.

Hizzoner’s comments come after The Post exclusively reported Saturday that over 1,500 officers have either resigned or retired in 2022 – a rate that represents the largest exodus of officers since the statistics have been available.

About 520 cops have resigned, and more than 1,000 have retired as of May 31, according to NYPD pension data previously obtained by The Post. The 1,596 total departures from the police department represents a 38% spike compared to the same period in 2021, when 1,159 cops called it a career, and a 46% increase from 2020, when 1,092 left the force by the same point.

Asked Monday morning by “Good Day New York” host Rosanna Scotto if those figures “concern” him, Adams replied, “No, it does not.”

“[The] New York City Police Department is an amazing career. I know it first-hand, and we are going to find young men and women who are going to want to be a member of the New York City Finest,” the retired NYPD captain and former transit cop continued on Fox 5.

The ex-state senator and Brooklyn borough president went on to tout the next class of NYPD officers.

Mayor Eric Adams is not concerned about NYPD officers leaving the force in droves. DANIEL WILLIAM MCKNIGHT

“We got an amazing recruitment campaign coming in. This is a great opportunity to diversify the department,” the mayor said. “So no, people will always want to join the New York City Police Department. It’s one of the best careers you could have in the city.”

According to the NYPD’s most recent demographic data, the force is 44% white, 30% Hispanic, 15% black, and 10% Asian. The population of the five boroughs is currently 41% white, 29% Hispanic or Latino, 24% black, and 14% Asian, according to Census Bureau figures dated July 2021.

In addition, Adams explained that the reduction in cops isn’t a big deal because the police department has more effectively used NYPD officers since he took office in January.

According to the NYPD’s most recent demographic data, the force is 44% white, 30% Hispanic, 15% black, and 10% Asian. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
About 520 cops have resigned, and more than 1,000 have retired as of May 31, 2022. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

“You don’t see five, six police officers standing at the corner together; you’re seeing us deploy our police properly,” he said.

Asked why the handshake budget deal on which the he and the City Council agreed did not include significantly more funding funding for the NYPD amid heightened crime, Adams touted it upping reserves and funds for the sanitation department to clean “dirty” streets, before promoting his efforts to use police money and personnel in an efficient manner.

“We must first utilize the resources we have. I cannot emphasize enough, we were not deploying our police the way they should have been deployed,” said the mayor. “I’m going to deploy New York’s taxpayers’ money correctly.”

Adams’ comments come after The Post exclusively reported Saturday that over 1,500 officers have either resigned or retired in 2022. J.C.Rice

On Friday, officials said the spending package set to pass Monday evening trimmed back a $152 million hike to the NYPD budget sought by the mayor to an estimated $90 million boost, which will fund new labor contracts.

Overall, the NYPD’s budget is slated to rise from $5.4 billion to $5.5 billion