NYPD'S BADGE IS A $HIELD
By DAVID SEIFMAN, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
November 25, 2008
It's always been a haven for victims of crime. Now the NYPD is becoming a shelter for victims of the economic crisis.
Applications to join the Finest are soaring and fewer cops are looking to retire, Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday.
"Retirements will slow down just because people will find it more difficult to find other employment," Kelly told at a City Council budget hearing.
He said 80 percent of cops usually retire after 20 years, when they become eligible for half-pay pensions and lifetime medical benefits.
"That's down to the lower 70s," said Kelly. "That's a reflection, we believe to a certain extent, of the economy."
It was only months ago - when the economy was booming and the police starting salary was an embarrassing $25,000 - that the NYPD was struggling to fill its academy classes.
So many veteran cops are staying put that the next police class in July 2009 will have just 500 to 700 recruits, down from a projected 2,000.
That led to some sharp questioning from council members upset that Mayor Bloomberg has canceled the January 2009 police class to save $36 million this fiscal year.
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