Critics say the /*New York City Police Academy*/ should be crawling with cadets.
Instead, the classrooms are empty.
The hallways are deserted.
With no new police officers in the pipeline, the men and women already on the streets will be stretched even further, and the department is losing officers every day.
The /*PBA*/ president insists it's a risky move.
The city's police commissioner told reporters he has no choice.
The order came directly from city hall.
The /*NYPD*/ has roughly 34,500 members, down 6,000 from its all-time high in 2001.
The administration's plan delays the incoming academy class of 540 recruits at least until July.
City officials say those 540 recruits will be combined with several hundred others already slated to enter the academy this summer.
After six months of academy schooling, and six more months of training in the field, they will not become full-fledged police officers until July of 2012 at the earliest.
