NYC Council to renew call to hire 1,000 more NYPD officers
The New York City Council is poised to renew its call to hire 1,000 more officers for the police department, potentially setting up a repeat clash with Mayor Bill de Blasio about the headcount of the nation’s largest police force.
The council will release its budget presentation on Tuesday and will include funding to hire the additional officers, council staffers told The Associated Press on Sunday. The council made the same proposal a year ago, but it was rejected by de Blasio and not included in the final budget for fiscal year 2015, which began July 1.
“In order for NYPD to continue to keep New Yorkers safe while also implementing new reforms and initiatives, we need to increase the overall headcount of the department,” City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said in a statement Sunday night. “The Council’s plan to increase headcount while also including cost control measures is fiscally responsible and will go a long way toward ensuring public safety and better community relations.”