Updated 11/25/2008 10:18 AM
Council Concerned About Proposed NYPD Cuts
To view our videos, you need to:
1. Enable JavaScript. Learn how.
2. Install Adobe Flash. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Some members of the City Council are concerned that cutting the Police Department's budget would affect its ability to fight crime.
The council on Monday debated the merits of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to slash next year's police class in order to help balance the budget during the current fiscal crisis.
Many spoke out against eliminating the class of January 2009, which would reduce the force by more than 1,000 officers. That would bring the department to its lowest staffing level since the early 1990s.
"New Yorkers should be concerned," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. "Rapes are up, robberies are up, murders are up. Overall crime is declining at a lesser rate than we have seen in the last seven years. Not even Batman could do more with the little bit of resources we are giving Police Commissioner Ray Kelly."
The council and the NYPD offered differing projections for the number of officers on the force once the reductions go into effect.
Vallone said there could be as few as 33,000 next year, down from a high of 41,000 in 2001. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly put the total just under 35,800
Kelly told the council that the department would continue to work to keep crime levels low.
"I don't want to reduce any and I don't want to lose any, but this is the world we live in," Kelly said. "We are told this is the economic crisis of a lifetime, and we are going to have to deal with it."
Kelly noted that crime rates in the city continue to fall, despite fewer officers on the streets. But council members say any spike in crime rates – or even a perceived uptick – will harm the city's tourism numbers, and the city's economy.
Council members also want to make sure quality of life issues do not suffer from the cutbacks.
The NYPD cuts are expected to save the city $45 million this year and $167 million next year.
The Fire Department is also facing reductions. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the department is planning to close five fire
companies in the evenings and wants to generate $21 million in new revenue by doubling the tax on fire insurance premiums.
While Monday marked the end of budget hearings, the council will continue negotiating with the mayor and is expected to vote on the cuts in early December.