Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday he may exempt the New York Police Department from the 3 percent across-the-board budget cut he ordered this month — while lambasting the agency’s habit of deploying a phalanx of cops on overtime to monitor parades.
The NYPD’s $5.5 billion annual budget and 52,000 strong workforce make it one of the biggest pieces of the Big Apple’s bureaucracy.
Adams had previously exempted only the Health Department, jail system, public hospital system and the Medical Examiner from the order.
“We are looking at that,” Hizzoner told reporters, when asked if that list of agencies could grow to include the police. “We’re looking at if there are others, there’s not too many, I can tell you that.”
But Adams also warned that exemption from the cut did not necessarily mean the department’s budget would grow on his watch, whacking the NYPD for using too many uniformed officers in positions that could be filled by civilians, and for sending scores of cops to staff small parades on overtime.
“I’m sure you’ve gone to a parade and you’ve walked down the block and you saw 10 officers just standing there. And I bet they’re all on overtime,” he said.
“Why are you all here for the Steuben Day parade,” Adams continued with a laugh. “Why are you all hanging around here? Why aren’t you on patrol somewhere?”