NYPD busting its budget by nearly $100 million on overtime spending
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NYPD says overtime costs have surged amid deployments in the subway system and citywide demonstrations.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban insisted Wednesday in a hearing before the City Council that the results speak for themselves.
"You get what you pay for," he said. "Shooting incidents are down 16% and murder has dropped 18.8% while burglary has been reduced by 12.7% and overall crime is down 1.6% citywide."
But even with those statistics, commanders admitted that costs for deployments in the subway and details for demonstrations have blown the NYPD's overtime budget by more than $100 million -- nearly an increase of 50% over their own projections.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams kept firm during the hearing.
"The continued spending and significant excess of the budget on overtime only intensifies concerns about the department's management of its budget and workforce," she said.
Department officials revealed Wednesday that officers have policed nearly 2,000 demonstrations since Oct. 7, and that overtime costs for the ongoing subway deployments are costing the NYPD more than $2.5 million a week in overtime, alone.
Transit Chief Michael Kemper defended the deployments, while admitting to Public Safety Chair Yusef Salaam that more outreach would make even New Yorkers safer.
"If you're asking me my honest, personal under-oath opinion that more effort needs to be spent on the topic of mental health, particularly in the subway system? Yes," he stated.
The hearing was interrupted multiple times by anti-police protesters and several councilmembers questioned the administration's priorities.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams suggested the NYPD is getting special treatment among city agencies.
"For some reason the NYPD is the only one that has access to the type of overtime that they claim they need," he shared.
Police commanders are defending their budget projections, insisting they can only anticipate so much.
The department's Chief of Patrol told the Council that demonstrations this summer are destined to heat-up.
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