The NYPD defended its overspending as the city continues to funnel millions of taxpayers’ dollars on overtime pay for officers and settling police misconduct cases.
The department’s actions come amid steep budget cuts that are leaving other city agencies strapped for cash, including public libraries and resources for the homeless.
“The budget is not a suggestion,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said at a hearing on Thursday. “And despite pledges to rein in the repeated pattern of exceeding its budget on overtime, there has been no tangible changes to more efficiently manage spending within the budget.”
Members of the City Council pointed fingers at two line items within the NYPD’s budget over recent years. The police department blew through its annual budget for officers working overtime halfway through the current fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2022 and will end this June. The NYPD spent roughly $715 million on overtime as of April, nearly 60% more than the $453 million allocated to the department. The NYPD also spent more than $121 million in payouts for lawsuits filed against the department in 2022.
And while Mayor Eric Adams is calling for conservative city-wide spending with the ongoing migrant crisis, the NYPD is still set to receive a considerable chunk next year: $5.31 billion dollars – or 5% – of the proposed $106.7 billion spending plan for the 2024 fiscal year. That’s $220 million less than what the department received this fiscal year.
NYPD officials blamed the overspending on staffing shortages and an increase in 911 calls from residents. An uptick in the presence of unlicensed cannabis shops, criminal court and oath summons issued for residents and foot traffic in subways are forcing the police to employ more of its officers, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
“There can be no substitute for adequately funded public safety, and a healthy and properly compensated force of officers,” she said.
In regards to the…
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