NYPD officers are retiring in alarming numbers, so much so that the department calls it a ‘troubling trend’ and says they are monitoring the situation…
NY POST – The NYPD said Wednesday that 179 cops filed for retirement between June 29 and Monday, an astounding 411 percent increase over the 35 who filed during the same period in 2019.
The astonishing rush for the door came as 503 cops filed for retirement between May 25 — the day George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, sparking anti-cop protests around the country — and July 3, the NYPD said.
That number represents a 75 percent increase over the 287 who filed for retirement during the same time last year, the NYPD said.
There would be more officers retiring, but the department is limiting how many applications it takes every day:
Sources said the deluge of applications had overwhelmed the department — due to cancellation of overtime for the workers who process them — and that the number of daily applicants was being limited as a result.
On Tuesday, The Post spotted a line of cops waiting outside the office at One Police Plaza where retirement papers get filed.
“Apparently, the pension section is only taking a certain amount of people per day and I think they are backed up ’til late July, early August,” one cop said.
“That’s why you don’t see like 100 a day, because they are only doing like 35 to 40 a day, by appointment.”
A spokeswoman for the NYPD confirmed the “surge in the number of officers filing for retirement.”
“While the decision to retire is a personal one and can be attributed to a range of factors, it is a troubling trend that we are closely monitoring,” the spokesperson added.
An NYPD spokeswoman noted that the department is not turning down any applications for officers retiring in the next 30 days — but has told cops putting in to retire after that to come back when a month out due to the increased activity.
“Droves and droves…”
Sources blamed the situation — which comes amid an alarming spike in shootings — on growing anti-cop sentiment, coupled with a pending city law that would make it a crime for cops to use chokeholds while trying to subdue violent suspects.
“There’s just droves and droves of people retiring. But there’s no surprise here, who the hell wants to stay on this job?” one cop said.
“Why would you want to stay on this job when people don’t appreciate what you do?”
Sources also said the flood of overtime tied to last month’s protests — which will boost pension payouts for eligible retirees — and the expected loss of overtime due to the recent $1 billion cut to the NYPD’s budget were also factors.
I think police officers in New York have thought for a long time that city officials haven’t had their backs. We all remember back in 2014 how police officers turned their backs on de Blasio over his anti-cop statements. But this year, with all the national anti-cop sentiment driving the narrative and local officials seeking to appease the mob by significantly cutting the department’s funding, police officers have had enough and are getting the heck out of dodge. And as I’ve said before, who can blame them.