Overview
- City Hall says the plan funds 5,000 new hires, costing $17.8 million next fiscal year and rising to $315.8 million by 2029, with hiring phased through 2028.
- Andrew Cuomo praised the initiative and attacked frontrunner Zohran Mamdani as opposed to adding officers, sharpening the race’s public-safety divide.
- Zohran Mamdani called the expansion financially unrealistic, reiterated his $1.1 billion Department of Community Safety proposal, and said he would retain Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
- Police union leaders warned that high attrition—about 2,800 officer departures this year—means hiring alone will not increase staffing without stronger retention measures.
- Experts and former officials questioned whether a progressive City Council will back the expansion, noting the gap between authorized headcount and actual staffing under recent budgets.