"De-Funding the Police" - US

[CharlesHarris]

https://5townscentral.com/2020/06/27/nyp...-protests/

A wave of NYPD officers has filed for retirement in the weeks following George Floyd’s death on May 25, refocusing attention on police morale amid widespread protests and calls to defund law enforcement. The NYPD told Fox News on Saturday that 272 officers have filed for retirement between Floyd’s death and June 23. That represents a 49 percent increase over the same period in 2019.

Resignations and actual retirements have remained relatively stable with 135 retirements in 2020 and 131 during the same time last year. According to the department, that’s because the recent spate of filings hasn’t been processed yet. The department saw 35 resignations in 2019 compared to 36 so far in 2020.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/nyreg...olice.html

...Proponents of a more traditional law and order approach, meanwhile, said the change would be disastrous for a city already reeling from the pandemic and an exodus of wealthier residents who fled as a result. Shootings and murders have surged in recent weeks, and the budget cuts are just the latest move the city has made away from a more aggressive style of policing.

“Mayor de Blasio’s message to New Yorkers today was clear: you will have fewer cops on your streets. Shootings more than doubled again last week. Even right now, the NYPD doesn’t have enough manpower to shift cops to one neighborhood without making another neighborhood less safe,” said Police Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch in a statement issued Monday.

“We will say it again: the Mayor and the City Council have surrendered the city to lawlessness. Things won’t improve until New Yorkers hold them responsible," he added.

It is not clear whether the 36,000-member NYPD’s headcount will fall as a result of the budget deal.