Former Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered a speech in Harlem, where he outlined his proposal to add 5,000 new NYPD officers if he were to be elected mayor of New York City. He emphasized that the city is facing a crisis and requires leadership focused on enhancing public safety.
Cuomo explained that increasing the NYPD by 5,000 officers would raise the department’s size by 15%, bringing it close to its peak of around 39,000 officers. He noted that the added officers would address the long-term decline in police staffing and strengthen law enforcement in high-crime areas, such as the stretch of Eighth Avenue from Penn Station to Times Square and parts of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.
“The number one issue is public safety because nothing works if people don’t feel safe,” Cuomo declared.
To manage the financial burden of expanding the police force, Cuomo proposed cutting back on NYPD overtime expenses, which reportedly exceeded $1 billion in 2024. He believes this move would also help improve retention rates among officers.
“Police are getting burned out. Police are quitting. One of the highest attrition rates ever. And we can’t even attract new people to be police officers. Now who had it, right? Mayor David Dinkins,” Cuomo said, referring to the former mayor’s Safe Streets/Safe City program in the early 1990s, which saw the police force increase to nearly 38,500 officers.
Cuomo praised Dinkins, New York’s first black mayor, for expanding the police force by 40% during his tenure, explaining that Dinkins understood the importance of protecting crime victims. He criticized certain mayoral candidates who oppose funding the police, calling their stance detrimental.
“We have city officials, many of whom now want to be mayor of New York, who uttered the three dumbest public policy words you can utter: ‘Cut the police,’” Cuomo said. “You can’t be a progressive if you’re not making progress and they are not making progress. As a matter of fact, it was regressive. Do you know who the victims of crime are? Seventy-five percent Black, brown and poor. That’s the population that needs the police.”
Recent polling indicates that Cuomo is leading in the Democratic primary, with aspirations to challenge the current Mayor Eric Adams. The race also includes former Comptroller Scott Stringer, Comptroller Brad Lander, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
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