NYPD Ranks Thinning Out at Alarming Rate

A wave of blue flight is pushing the NYPD's sworn officer ranks down to levels not seen in nearly a decade, police leaders said Thursday.

“We’re living through very challenging times,” NYPD Chief of Personnel Martin Morales told the Daily News . "We have officers retiring from all ranks, including very tenured investigators and very tenured supervisors.

That’s bad news at a time of increased gun violence, Morales warned — adding that with the cancellation of two police academy classes, it’s unclear when the force will grow again.

Blame the exodus on low morale resulting from anti-police sentiment in New York since the death of George Floyd, Morales said.

As of Tuesday, 2,171 cops have left the department in 2020. That’s a 72% increase from the 1,262 who left during the same period of 2019.