
In this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, photo, a police vehicle responds in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:52 PM PT —Thursday, July 9, 2020
The NYPD has sounded the alarm as the number of officers filing for retirement skyrocketed amid protests and a surge in shootings. On Wednesday, the department reported that 179 officers filed for retirement last week, which was a 411% increase from the same time last year.
Officers cited a lack of respect, increased violence and the loss of overtime pay due to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to cut $1 billion from the police budget.
Experts also blamed growing anti-police sentiment.
“Police reform seems to be the echoing sentiment, so as a result, police officers seem to be the kicking board, so to speak,” explained fore “People are taking out their animosity on officers on a national level, not just the officers who were associated with the death of George Floyd.”
According to a spokeswoman for the department, they are overwhelmed, but they are not turning down any applications. They have instead asked officers to come back at a future date.