New York policemen massively quit: they do not feel that they are valued

In New York, there is a 400 percent surge in layoffs among police officers. The best cops leave, they explain this decision by the lack of respect and remuneration for overtime work. The police department called the trend "alarming" and said they were following what was happening. This publication writes The Post.

Disturbing trend

During the past week, the number of police officers who submitted their resignation papers was four times more than last year. Between June 29 and July 6, 179 police officers filed a resignation report, an astounding 411 percent increase compared to the 35 cops who filed applications for the same period in 2019.

The number of people wanting to leave their jobs began to grow between May 25 - the day George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, which provoked people to go out to mass protests, and July 3. During that period, 503 police officers resigned. That's 75% more than the 287 police officers who filed their resignation at the same time last year, New York City police said.

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The Police Department claims that the flow of applications made them work overtime, and the number of daily applications was limited.

On July 7, a queue formed near the office at One Police Plaza, where pension documents were submitted. “Obviously, the pension section only accepts a certain number of people per day,” one of the cops said. He added that the office processes applications by appointment, and for this reason, from 35 to 40 people manage to serve here daily.

A spokeswoman for New York City Police confirmed "a sharp increase in the number of officers applying for resignation." “Although the decision to resign is personal and may be due to a number of factors, this is an alarming trend that we are closely following,” the spokeswoman added.

She noted that the department does not reject any applications for retirement of officers in the next 30 days.

What is the reason for mass layoffs

It is believed that the reason for the mass layoffs lies in the growing anti-police sentiment in combination with pending city law, according to which the use of asphyxiation during detention is considered a crime.

“There is nothing surprising here, who the hell wants to stay on this job? - said one cop, commenting on the massive layoffs of police officers. “Why do you want to stay at this job when people don’t value what you do?”

In addition, the flood of overtime associated with last month's protests will increase retirement benefits for eligible cops. The expected loss of overtime due to the recent $ 1 billion cut in NYPD's budget is also a factor. “This is the best time to leave,” said one of the police officers.

“In addition, there is another class that will reach its 20th anniversary in September, so it will be another group that will leave,” the source added. He explained that cops often retire after meeting the minimum pension requirement.

Another Brooklyn cop said the New York police were faced with a “perfect storm”: “promotion” for detectives and “special assignment money” for sergeants and lieutenants would be canceled. “You need to be crazy to stay at work, where you lose money, where you are abused by people you are trying to protect, and politicians are not appreciated,” the source said.

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A Manhattan detective noted the impact of conflicting criminal justice laws and reform of the bail system. “It's frustrating — you work on a case and then the suspect is released,” he complains. "Why put your work on the line if no one appreciates you and does not cover your back."

In a statement, the head of the Police Benevolent Association accused lawmakers of “completely destroying our justice system,” and called the wave of dismissals “one answer to every police officer’s head.” “How should we carry out our work in such conditions? - Surprised president of the association Pat Lynch (Pat Lynch). “And now that crime has gotten out of control, they want to blame us for that, too.” He added that regardless of the time given to the service (whether it be a year or 20 years), the cops intend to seek a better fate for themselves elsewhere.

Association president Lou Turco said the cops feel "demoralized and abandoned" by politicians. “Overtime plays a role, it was in 2008 and 2009 and after 11/XNUMX, but now we are not talking about overtime,” he said. “They feel abandoned by the silent majority, so they leave. They don't feel appreciated. "

Recall that in June New York approved a large-scale reform package of the police. About what changes are coming, read in this material.