Even as the New York City is reeling from the riots, crime is rising, and law enforcement struggles to enforce the law, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he has agreed to cut $1 billion in annual funding from the New York City Police Department.
Though details were scarce since negotiations with the city council are still underway, part of the changes include reducing the size of the NYPD as well as “transferring school safety agents and crossing guards from the control of the police to the Department of Education," The Wall Street Journal reports.
Under the proposal, the NYPD’s annual funding would drop to about $5 billion from $6 billion.
At a press conference Monday, Mr. de Blasio also said that he had also proposed to shift $500 million out of the NYPD’s capital budget. The money instead would go toward the improvement of youth centers and public-housing, he said.
The mayor and city council must pass a budget for the coming fiscal year by Tuesday night. The city faces a deficit of around $9 billion over the next two years because of a decline in revenue after the new coronavirus devastated the economy. (WSJ)
At the press conference, de Blasio said the resources would be redirected to “young people.”
“My office presented to City Council a plan that would achieve the billion in savings for the NYPD and shift resources to young people, to communities in a way that would help address a lot of the underlying issues that we know are the cause of so many problems in our society,” the mayor said.
"The details will be worked out in the budget process in the weeks ahead," he continued. "But I want people to understand that we are committed to shifting resources to ensure that the focus is on our young people."
The move comes as calls grow across the country to defund the police.
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