Hours after Mayor Zohran Mamdani approved a budget keeping the NYPD’s authorized headcount at 35,000 officers, police leaders pointed to record-low crime statistics as evidence the force can continue policing effectively without adding hundreds of officers. The Police Benevolent Association, meanwhile, argued those same results reflect an overextended workforce that cannot sustain the city's public safety gains without more hiring.
The city's $125.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027 keeps the NYPD's current headcount, reversing an earlier proposal that would have added 580 officers to the force. While progressive lawmakers praised the decision, police unions said it ignores the department's continuing recruitment and retention challenges.
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