Some members of the NYC Council are concerned that cutting the Police Department’s budget would affect its ability to fight crime.
The council on Monday debated the merits of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to slash next year’s police class in order to help balance the budget during the current fiscal crisis.
Many spoke out against eliminating the class of January 2009, which would reduce the force by more than 1,000 officers. That would bring the department to its lowest staffing level since the early 1990s.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the council that the department would continue to work to keep crime levels low.
“I don’t want to reduce any and I don’t want to lose any, but this is the world we live in,” Kelly said. “We are told this is the economic crisis of a lifetime, and we are going to have to deal with it.”
But some councilmembers said they fear that fewer police officers would mean a spike in crime.
“There is no quicker way to hurt an economy then to allow the crime rate to start creeping back up,” said Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. “And yet that’s what’s happening.”
The NYPD cuts are expected to save the city $45 million this year and $167 million next year.
(Source: NY1)
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3 Responses
Nobody is happy about it, but the money just isn’t there. Let the council find other places to slash funds to cover the gap. 160 million for NYC is not that much money.
THE council is olny concerned i’m a %100 that crime will go up.this a city thier is things u can deal like a bussines like blumberg likes to do. but security is not a thing u can play around with spacial in this world we live today.
I am also concerned about the cuts in the NYPD. I only in live in New York City……