New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday said he is increasing the size of the New York City Police Department academy by 1,200 recruits.
The mayor said the city has enough funds to add two additional academy classes, one in July and another in October, according to a news release.
Each class will add 600 new recruits, bringing the total number of recruits in 2024 to 2,400. The 1,200 new officers in the July and October police classes will hit New York City streets in January 2025 and April 2025, respectively.
“I always say that public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. By driving down crime, we have saved lives and laid the foundation for economic recovery, but we want to keep that going and we won’t do anything to risk all our progress,” Adams said through a statement.
The mayor said he hopes this increase will help the NYPD to reach 35,000 officers in the coming years.
Over 2,500 police officers retired in 2023, according to the Police Benevolent Association of New York City.
