New York City police officers are resigning in record numbers, the New York Post reported last week, with January and February seeing the highest number of resignations in over a decade.
In January and February, 239 cops quit, according to data analyzed by the Post—a 36 percent increase from this period last year and an enormous 117 percent spike from two years ago. This year's figures show the highest number of cop departures since a contract dispute in 2007.
The New York Police Department "needs to be rebuilt from the ground up," a longtime Manhattan cop told the Post. "It's unfixable in its current state."
The news comes as New York City faces a crime spike under Democratic mayor Eric Adams. Robberies, burglaries, felony assaults, grand larcenies, and other crimes have all shot up 22 percent since last year.
Many officers are fleeing the force because of deep-blue New York's "anti-cop politics" following the last three years' "Defund the Police" movement, particularly "woke bail reform policies that make criminal justice a revolving door," the Post reported. New York governor Kathy Hochul (D.) has attempted to pivot to appearing tough on crime, a far cry from her posture last year, when she handwaved the state's crime wave.
The Manhattan cop also blasted NYPD leadership, saying officers are "penalized for minor uniform and administrative infractions" while "precincts barely have enough personnel to meet the minimum required to safely answer 911 calls."
Other police sources told the Post that "almost every precinct in New York City is understaffed."
The department has also seen an increase in retirements, up 3 percent from January and February 2022 and 7 percent from 2021.