Mamdani backs hiring of 580 cops amid crime drop

The NYPD plans to increase its authorized uniformed headcount over the next two fiscal years by nearly 600, a move city officials say is necessary to support expanded officer training and a recent restructuring of patrol operations in the Bronx as the department reports “historic” declines in crime.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told City Council members June. 1 that the department is on track to add 580 officers, eventually bringing its authorized headcount to 35,555. The announcement came days after the NYPD reported the fewest murders, shooting incidents and shooting victims ever recorded during the first five months of a year, with major crime down 6.2 percent citywide, according to the department.

"That is something to be celebrated, and that is something that we appreciate deeply, especially in a time of general need to cut," Tisch said of the staffing increase. She noted that 2025 was the department's "most aggressive year in hiring on record" and said the NYPD is "keeping our foot on the gas this year."

Mamdani changes tune

The staffing plans represent another sign of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's growing alignment with Tisch's public-safety agenda, despite having campaigned on decreasing the role of the police. 

Speaking May 2 on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show, Mamdani said the administration's original commitment was to maintain a steady budgeted headcount and that two issues identified after taking office prompted adjustments.

The first was the decision to split the Bronx into two patrol boroughs — Bronx North and Bronx South — bringing the borough's command structure in line with Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. The second was an effort to provide officers with more regular training after they leave the Police Academy.

"We found that while our NYPD officers were receiving extensive training in the academy, they were not receiving enough ongoing training once they were on the job," Mamdani said. "We decided to strengthen that regular training so that officers could better do their jobs."

City Hall officials stressed that actual staffing levels will continue to fluctuate because of retirements, resignations and academy classes. They said the administration will continue monitoring headcount throughout the year to ensure hiring remains responsive to operational needs while remaining sensitive to budget constraints.

The hiring plans have drawn criticism from police reform advocates who argue that larger police forces do not necessarily produce lower crime rates, while calling out the mayor for capitulating to Tisch. 

The Legal Aid Society posted on its social media accounts that the administration is "doubling down on failed policing strategies," with attorney Phil Desgranges calling the increase "yet another broken promise from the Mayor on police reform."

According to City Hall officials, the NYPD's authorized headcount for Fiscal Year 2027 is 35,370 officers. The department projects it will end the fiscal year with approximately 34,225 officers and reach roughly 35,000 officers by the end of calendar year 2026. The authorized headcount does not rise to 35,555 until Fiscal Year 2028.

Officials said most of the increase is related to training. The budget includes funding for approximately 400 additional officers beginning in FY27 to support enhanced training initiatives, while another 185 positions associated with the Bronx patrol-borough split are scheduled for FY28.

$100 million in police overtime

The announcement comes as Tisch points to sharply declining crime statistics as evidence that the department's strategy is working. Through May, murders were down nearly 21 percent citywide, robberies had fallen 11 percent and shootings reached record lows. The Bronx — where the department recently expanded deployments and reorganized patrol operations — posted the largest decline in major crime of any borough, with crime down 11 percent year-to-date.

"Across our city, the NYPD is delivering on its mission to keep New Yorkers safe," Tisch said in announcing the crime statistics. "These accomplishments are the result of a precision policing approach that follows the data, goes after guns, takes down gangs, and puts our officers where and when they are needed most."

Since taking office, Mamdani has backed Tisch's summer deployment plan for high-crime neighborhoods, approved temporary 12-hour shifts during portions of the World Cup and supported the Bronx restructuring.

During her June 1 hearing before the City Council, Tisch also mentioned how the NYPD expects to spend almost $100 million in overtime for officers in July during the World Cup, Independence Day weekend and other events. She said the bulk of the overtime will be from July 1 to July 7, which alone will cost $42 million. 

The NYPD’s overtime spending has long been a point of contention, as it annually blows past its budget. Mamdani has previously advocated for slashing the overtime budget to redirect the funds to alternative policing programs, such as his Office of Community Safety. Tisch added during her Monday hearing that she has not spoken yet to representatives from the new office. 

Tisch, however, framed the overtime costs as a necessary safety precaution, arguing New York is especially vulnerable to terrorist or other violent attacks. 

“New York City is not only a global hub, it is a global target,” she said.