NEW YORK—Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly presented his preliminary budget for fiscal year (FY) 2012 to City Council on Tuesday. With nearly every city department cutting back on spending, the police department is no exception. The savings in Kelly’s report totaled $426 million compared to FY 2011.
The NYPD will operate on a $4.45 billion budget in FY 2012, with 93.7 percent going to salaries. The council expressed concern that cuts to the city’s law enforcement could affect security.
Kelly admitted that patrols could be affected by limited resources, but he hopes to maintain the number of uniformed officers on the payroll and close the budget gap with other measures.
In July 2010, 35,767 uniformed police were on the city’s streets. In July 2011, Kelly estimates that number will fall to 34,982. He hopes to have 35,367 uniformed officers on staff by July 2012. To reach this goal, he would have to hire 900 officers this summer for starters.
“We haven’t sent out any notices, let’s put it that way,” said Kelly, expressing a certain level of doubt that his hopes will be realized. The NYPD has rescinded on a previous plan to hire 400 civilians to take care of office work. Called “civilianization,” the plan would have freed up qualified officers to get out on patrol.
Overtime payouts account for a substantial chunk of the NYPD’s budget: $370 million. This FY 2012 figure is down $130 million from the FY 2011 budget.
Kelly explained that officers often have to work overtime to file arrest reports, and overtime funds also have to be kept on hand to allow for flexibility in a profession that often deals with unexpected circumstances.
Councilman Dan Halloran pointed out that with $370 million, the NYPD could hire 2,500 new officers to carry the load. It would be more cost efficient to pay a regular-time salary to more officers, than the overtime rate to existing officers. Kelly said he is willing to discuss it, but it is more complicated than it seems if the department is to truly allow for the flexibility needed in staffing.
The commissioner hopes to save money on overtime and generate revenue by charging noncharitable parade organizers for police patrol.
The New York City Marathon is a case in point. It is held on a Sunday, requiring intensive manpower on an overtime salary. The marathon, however, was not the most expensive event on the NYPD schedule for 2010. The West Indian Parade cost the NYPD $3.5 million in overtime last July.
“It is our belief that these are profit-making, or profit-generating, events. We think it is reasonable to expect the promoters to pay for police services. This is something that is done in many other cities in this country,” noted Kelly.
In another cost-saving measure, Kelly will scrap plans to build new precincts including the 40th precinct in the Bronx, the 66th and 70th precincts in South Brooklyn, and the 110th precinct in North Queens. These buildings would have replaced older structures that are in a state of disrepair, but Kelly maintains the precincts will have to make due until the economic climate improves.
By holding off on these projects, as well as all new construction or precinct rehabilitation, Kelly will save $119.5 million.
“One of the major complaints that I get from officers and civilians who visit our precincts is the actual structures themselves,” noted Councilman Peter Vallone, chair of the Public Safety Committee.
As Kelly determined ways to balance his budget, one area of NYPD operations stayed safely away from the chopping block: counterterrorism.
Kelly said the federal government has been forthcoming with funds to support the NYPD’s extensive counterterrorism operations. Since 2003, the city’s police department has received $917.3 million in counterterrorism funding from the Department of Homeland Security.
“The threat has been consistent,” explained Kelly. “It hasn’t ebbed and flowed. It pretty much is constant. The unfortunate reality … is that we are at the top of the terrorists’ target list as far as the West is concerned. No city comes close to us in the number of plots we’ve had directed at us,” summarized Kelly.
Currently, the NYPD deploys over 1,000 officers daily to counterterrorism efforts. The department’s intelligence division consists of over 500 officers. Another 250 officers comprise the counterterrorism division, 130 of whom work in a joint task force with the FBI. The NYPD has a presence in 11 overseas cities, and leverages the ethnic diversity of its forces to work far beyond the city limits.
Counterterrorism efforts are constantly being improved, rather than cutback, reported Kelly.
The NYPD will operate on a $4.45 billion budget in FY 2012, with 93.7 percent going to salaries. The council expressed concern that cuts to the city’s law enforcement could affect security.
Kelly admitted that patrols could be affected by limited resources, but he hopes to maintain the number of uniformed officers on the payroll and close the budget gap with other measures.
In July 2010, 35,767 uniformed police were on the city’s streets. In July 2011, Kelly estimates that number will fall to 34,982. He hopes to have 35,367 uniformed officers on staff by July 2012. To reach this goal, he would have to hire 900 officers this summer for starters.
“We haven’t sent out any notices, let’s put it that way,” said Kelly, expressing a certain level of doubt that his hopes will be realized. The NYPD has rescinded on a previous plan to hire 400 civilians to take care of office work. Called “civilianization,” the plan would have freed up qualified officers to get out on patrol.
Overtime payouts account for a substantial chunk of the NYPD’s budget: $370 million. This FY 2012 figure is down $130 million from the FY 2011 budget.
Kelly explained that officers often have to work overtime to file arrest reports, and overtime funds also have to be kept on hand to allow for flexibility in a profession that often deals with unexpected circumstances.
Councilman Dan Halloran pointed out that with $370 million, the NYPD could hire 2,500 new officers to carry the load. It would be more cost efficient to pay a regular-time salary to more officers, than the overtime rate to existing officers. Kelly said he is willing to discuss it, but it is more complicated than it seems if the department is to truly allow for the flexibility needed in staffing.
The commissioner hopes to save money on overtime and generate revenue by charging noncharitable parade organizers for police patrol.
Parade Patrol and Precinct Disrepair
The New York City Marathon is a case in point. It is held on a Sunday, requiring intensive manpower on an overtime salary. The marathon, however, was not the most expensive event on the NYPD schedule for 2010. The West Indian Parade cost the NYPD $3.5 million in overtime last July.
“It is our belief that these are profit-making, or profit-generating, events. We think it is reasonable to expect the promoters to pay for police services. This is something that is done in many other cities in this country,” noted Kelly.
In another cost-saving measure, Kelly will scrap plans to build new precincts including the 40th precinct in the Bronx, the 66th and 70th precincts in South Brooklyn, and the 110th precinct in North Queens. These buildings would have replaced older structures that are in a state of disrepair, but Kelly maintains the precincts will have to make due until the economic climate improves.
By holding off on these projects, as well as all new construction or precinct rehabilitation, Kelly will save $119.5 million.
“One of the major complaints that I get from officers and civilians who visit our precincts is the actual structures themselves,” noted Councilman Peter Vallone, chair of the Public Safety Committee.
As Kelly determined ways to balance his budget, one area of NYPD operations stayed safely away from the chopping block: counterterrorism.
Counterterrorism
Kelly said the federal government has been forthcoming with funds to support the NYPD’s extensive counterterrorism operations. Since 2003, the city’s police department has received $917.3 million in counterterrorism funding from the Department of Homeland Security.
“The threat has been consistent,” explained Kelly. “It hasn’t ebbed and flowed. It pretty much is constant. The unfortunate reality … is that we are at the top of the terrorists’ target list as far as the West is concerned. No city comes close to us in the number of plots we’ve had directed at us,” summarized Kelly.
Currently, the NYPD deploys over 1,000 officers daily to counterterrorism efforts. The department’s intelligence division consists of over 500 officers. Another 250 officers comprise the counterterrorism division, 130 of whom work in a joint task force with the FBI. The NYPD has a presence in 11 overseas cities, and leverages the ethnic diversity of its forces to work far beyond the city limits.
Counterterrorism efforts are constantly being improved, rather than cutback, reported Kelly.
