272 NYPD Officers Have Filed For Retirement Since Death Of George Floyd, 49% Spike
As protests for social and criminal justice over police brutality incidents blaze on, cops nationwide are feeling the pressure and some are succumbing to it. In New York, 272 NYPD officers have filed for retirement following the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25.
Since then through June 24, the department states that they’ve had a 49 percent increase from the 183 officers who filed during the same time period in 2019. Additionally, some sources believe the influx of departures are a warning of a coming crisis for the 36,000-member department. which may soon see a $1 billion budget cut stemming from the “defund the police” movement.
RELATED: UPDATE: NYPD Officer Suspended After Using Banned Chokehold On A Black Man
Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch says, “We are worried about a surge in attrition reducing our headcount beyond what we can sustain without new recruits, and are afraid the City Council has not taken the surge into account. [Cops are] at their breaking point, whether they have 20 years on the job or only two. We are all asking the same question: ‘How can we keep doing our job in this environment?’ And that is exactly what the anti-cop crowd wants. If we have no cops because no one wants to be a cop, they will have achieved their ultimate goal.”
RELATED: NYPD Officers Responding To Shooting Gun Down Suspect Outside Of Brooklyn Apartment Complex
In addition, Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins adds, “People have had enough and no longer feel it’s worth risking their personal well-being for a thankless position. There is no leadership, no direction, no training for new policies,” he said. “Department brass is paralyzed (and) too afraid to uphold their sworn oath in fear of losing their jobs. Sadly, the people of this city will soon experience what New York City was like in the 1980s.”