New York City struggling to hire police officers as number of applicants shrinks

The New York Police Department is struggling to hire police officers as the number of applicants is shrinking.

Data from the Police Benevolent Association shows that there is a 55% decline in applicants from 2017, when there were 18,000, to this past year when there were only 8,000. 

Normally one out of every eight candidates pass the test and meet all the other criteria. So in order to fill 1,600 academy slots, a pool of nearly 13,000 candidates is required.

“The biggest problem is that cops are telling their friends and family not to bother with this job even as a stepping stone, because it’s not worth it,” a cop from Brooklyn told the New York Post.

He added that in the NYPD you get "worked to the bone" and attacked by politicians relentlessly. 

Starting salary for a New York City cop is $53,790.

Another cop who recently retired advised against younger people joining the force.

“I tell them if you can find another agency that’s willing to take you I would go,” he told the Post. “I would run for the hills if you can.”

New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams had a goal of hiring 1,600 new officers in 2025, but that goal might be hard to meet.