NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Mayor Eric Adams warned of "extremely painful" budget cuts to New York City agencies, including cuts to the NYPD, with a detailed press conference by the city budget director scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The cuts are set to affect every city agency, mainly caused by the significant costs that came up during the ongoing migrant crisis, Adams said during a press conference earlier this week.
The city now anticipates another tentative 5% budget cut in the coming year, Adams explained.
The NYPD will see an immediate impact and as a result, the NYPD is facing a hiring freeze, and the incoming of a new class of 250 school safety agents has been canceled.
"If you start seeing fewer cops in the subway and you're dealing with subway crime issues, and you're trying to get the city back on its feet, these are all things that become a political nightmare," John Jay Criminal Justice professor and retired NYPD Sgt. Joe Giacolone said.
Giacolone also pointed out the long-term effects on the police force, "Each time you have a class, it takes six months before that recruit becomes a police officer. And then it takes a couple of years before he or she actually starts to learn the ropes."
PBA President Patrick Lynch has warned that the resultant staffing crisis could escalate into a "public safety disaster."
Adams acknowledged the hardships they will impose. "It is more than painful for New York. It's painful for us. These are initiatives that we fought hard for," he stated.
The city is struggling to close a $5 billion budget gap for the next fiscal year, and the 5% reduction also includes cuts to school funding.
"This is a real issue for our city. The economic strain to this city is something that is not sustainable, and we have to get the assistance that we need from the federal government," Adams said.
Jacques Jiha, the budget director is expected to speak about the full extent of the budget cuts at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.