Fed up: NYC cops quit en masse

Insiders cite the increasingly anti-police climate in New York City and the low wages of police officers. This is reported by the edition New York Post.

Dozens of officers have left the New York City Police Department to join the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island. This was reported by sources in law enforcement agencies.

Roughly 50 former police officers, many of whom had served less than five years, retired from the NYPD between December 11 and 15, although this meant a pay cut in the short term.

“They will move to a department where they will be more appreciated by the local community, local politicians and district attorneys,” said one source. He added that the police "still value their job and the ability to protect innocent people and their property."

It's worth noting that despite the initial downsizing, the newly minted Nassau County police officers will end up earning more than the current NYPD officers.

Most of these police officers took a long time to consider the decision to quit. Cops took the plunge after a string of protests against police, approved by the authorities large-scale police reform package and cuts in NYPD funding.

Nassau County last held its entrance exams in January 2018, and according to the department's recruiting website, it still takes candidates from that list.

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Police retired so quickly this summer that NYPD had to limit the intensity with which they could do so.

But while many of the retireds were senior investigators who had worked long enough, most of those who decided to work in Nassau County are still in their early careers. This means that New York will not only face a significant churn of staff, but also will not be able to get a return on the funds invested in their training.

“The city has spent millions of dollars training these police officers in the hopes that they will work for another 20 plus years,” said one of the Manhattan police officers. "This money and experience just evaporated, further depleting the city's budget."

Feeling low morale among NYPD officers, the Department of Homeland Security actively tried to poach disillusioned police officers over the summer.

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Pat Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, then pointed to the city's reluctance to advocate for police and quality law enforcement. “We're still losing trained, experienced police officers who choose to work in Nassau County and other departments instead of NYPDs where they can earn 70% more,” Lynch said. “This is another sign that New York politicians don't care about improving police work in this city. They want to see fewer police officers on the streets and their refusal to pay them fair market wages confirms this. ”