Philadelphia's mayor is proposing $4.5 million in cuts to the city's police department that would lead to the canceling of two recruit classes of about 130 cadets each, according to Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
During his campaign, Mayor Nutter pledged to hire 500 officers, a promise that has been halted by budget constraints, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.
The department's sworn force peaked in 2001 at 6,900 officers. Since then, it has fallen to the current 6,600 and is expected to reach 6,400 in the next year due to attrition.