NEW YORK (Sputnik) — De Blasio explained the additional officers will assist the New York Police Department (NYPD) in community policing and anti-terrorism efforts.
“We took another step forward in the last 24 hours, reaching an agreement with the City Council to add almost 1,300 additional police officers to our force over the next year,” de Blasio said on Tuesday.
The cost of the new hires will be $170 million, but de Blasio said the city will save $70 million in overtime payments.
Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), a local organization that advocates against police brutality, stated that the decision will not make New York City any safer.
“It's disappointing and perplexing that the city budget will increase the NYPD headcount when systemic problems with police accountability and culture that allow New Yorkers to be abused and killed have yet to be fixed and while major needs in our communities are under-resourced,” CPR spokesperson Monifa Bandele said in a statement.
The New York City Council is scheduled to approve the decision to hire the additional 1,300 officers during a hearing later this week.
The New York Police Department is the largest police force in the United States employing more than 51,000 people, according to its website.
