When Jason decided to join the NYPD in the early 2000s, he did it because he wanted to chase down bad guys, seek justice for vulnerable crime victims and above all, help the people who needed it the most.
But these days, the longtime cop has become disillusioned with the job, and he’s counting down the days until he can hang up his badge and retire.
“I hate it, I can’t speak enough terrible things about it,” Jason told The Post during a recent interview.
“I want to actually be free, free of this mental abuse that I’ve been through. I don’t wish this profession upon anyone.”
The Post spoke with 14 current members of the NYPD, including patrol cops, detectives, sergeants and lieutenants spanning a wide range of ethnicities and time on the force, who painted a picture of a department in crisis.
While anti-police sentiment, criminal justice reforms and progressive politicians are frequent explanations for the crisis given by police unions and NYPD brass, the officers interviewed for this story say their primary issues with the job come from within.
Those problems stem from mismanagement and nepotism throughout the department, being held to unrealistic expectations, answering to a revolving door of out-of-touch chiefs and working among a force that’s turned its back on itself.
“You’re abused by your own brothers and sisters in blue and harassed to the point of having thoughts of suicide, then have to deal with the hate from the community while still dealing with everyday life stresses,” said Mark, an NYPD cop.
“I hate this job.”
Since 2020, a staggering 9,180 officers have left the job – 36% of whom quit before they were eligible for their full pension – and the NYPD is on pace to see more than 4,000 cops retire or resign this year.
As of Sept. 30, 1,628 officers have retired and another 1,426 quit, the most resignations seen since the post-Sept. 11 exodus in 2002 — and more than 2019 and 2020 combined.
The NYPD is so desperate to stem the bleeding, community affairs officers have been knocking on the doors of people who passed the exam but never moved forward with the hiring process to encourage them to join the academy.
“It’s one thing to have a recruitment problem, and it’s one thing to have a retention problem,” said John, who works in a busy Big Apple precinct.
“When you have both, it’s just a perfect storm for f–king disaster.”
‘We use the resources on nonsense’
At a busy Brooklyn precinct, sergeants are responding to 911 calls because half of the officers on duty for each tour are assigned to fixed posts – including one in front of the home of a drill rapper and alleged gang member to ensure he isn’t shot again.
“He’s almost got like private security on his house. We’ve been sitting outside of his house for almost a year. … But, meanwhile, if you call 911, you have to wait for 45 minutes,” said William, a cop who works at the precinct.
“He’s been shot three separate times, but they’re like, ‘We can’t let nothing happen to him.’ Are you serious? We’re really worried about this guy, not the average person? We use the resources on nonsense.”
When shots rang out between two arguing neighbors, a commanding officer at one city precinct did little to address the violence, according to John.
That boss responded by setting up a vehicle checkpoint in the area, only leading to a bunch of cab drivers getting ticketed — and the CO looking like he handled the situation, said John, who works at the precinct.
“Now the CO … can go down to Compstat and say, ‘My guys did this’ and ‘My guys went out there,’ ” the officer griped, referring to the routine crime statistic meetings with NYPD brass. “It’s just checking a f–king box.”
Such instances of mismanagement are prevalent across the department, officers told The Post.
“The executives, they have no clue, they’re oblivious, they are like politicians, too. They just want the next big thing so they’ll kiss ass and do what they want and not realize that some of this s–t doesn’t work,” Jack said.
For example, under former Chief of Detectives Phil Pulaski, who retired in 2014, detectives were required to follow a 13-step investigative guide when working cases, even when all of the steps didn’t apply to the crimes they were investigating, Noah said.
“Half the time, five or six of the steps wouldn’t apply to the case you were investigating, [but] you did them and put them into your case despite the fact that it had zero investigative value in what you were doing just to appease a chief who was smarter than everyone else because he told you he was smarter than everyone else,” Noah said.
And then there are the “house mouse” officers — trained cops who don’t respond to 911 calls and whose primary duties are administrative — who are at every precinct in the five boroughs.
This, as the NYPD’s budgeted headcount is currently under by about 1,600 cops.
“You have people inside doing nothing,” Jason said.
“Get out there and help me answer jobs because I’ve just answered my 20th [911 call] without a meal.”
All about who you know
The dismal personal experiences inside the department are plentiful: a military veteran denied a spot in the Counterterrorism Bureau after a tour in Iraq; a Navy veteran who didn’t make the cut for the Harbor Unit.
And then there is the newly minted detective specialist with just 24 arrests under her belt, 15 of which were misdemeanors, whose father used to drive a chief.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell is quick to remind the rank-and-file there are more than 300 specialized units they could apply to be on. But without connections, known as a “phone call” or a “hook” internally, it can feel impossible, officers said.
“The phone call has always been there for more of the specialized units, but it’s so bad now, people are using phone calls to get the [schedule] they want. It’s gotten absurdly out of control lately,” said Michael, a longtime officer.
“Hard work will hardly get you anything, it’s all about who you know, it doesn’t matter what your qualifications are.”
The department also has a tendency to appoint supervisors to units they’ve never worked in instead of promoting from within, Noah said.
“They keep elevating people into roles when they’ve never done that job as a cop. You have all these supervisors of detective squads or [Emergency Service Unit] or certain places that end up … trying to reinvent the wheel when they never did the job themselves,” the officer said.
“You get promoted, and you don’t need to have that skill set [for] that role.”
The NYPD has a role known as a “detective specialist” that, despite the title, comes along with no investigative duties. At times, it’s given to patrol officers after a long career or someone who solved a major case, but many times, the title is just a handout that comes along with a pay bump.
“You have a rank of detectives that does not investigate anything,” Noah said.
“They’ve never seen a DD5,” he said, referring to paperwork that detectives file when investigating cases.
Without connections, the vast majority of NYPD officers find themselves relegated to the grunt work of a patrol cop, answering a never-ending stream of 911 calls.
“You feel like you’re stuck in ‘Groundhog Day.’ How many times am I going to be cursed out today and told to go f–k myself without getting a break when you have people with three years on sitting inside who’ve never done patrol?” Michael said.
“It’s no longer a career, it’s just a job, and you lose passion for it, you lose that drive to want to do better and go that extra mile.”
In response, an NYPD rep said, “There is a path for everyone in the NYPD.
“Whether you become a forensic scientist, a helicopter pilot, a neighborhood coordinating officer or a detective who works tirelessly to gain justice for crime victims, their contributions will help us build on the work we’ve done to strengthen our bonds with the communities we serve.”
‘This is why we’re bleeding personnel’
As crime on the transit system continues to skyrocket, Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams responded by deploying an extra 1,000 cops on the subways each day.
But the officers aren’t backup personnel — the majority of them are there on forced overtime.
“Right now, we have to hold multiple [police officers] at the end of the shift to go do high-visibility rush-hour transit posts, so these are guys that just worked an entire tour, they’re gonna be working another four hours now on overtime,” John said.
“By the time they get home, it’s probably one o’clock, two o’clock. They’re going to come back that night. These guys and girls have kids, they have other responsibilities. They have f–king pets they have to take out. The job doesn’t care. … And then we wonder why no one wants to be a cop, why we’re bleeding personnel.”
The officers warned that the forced overtime potentially creates a dangerous situation for them — and the civilians they’re supposed to protect.
“You have to come back in for the day tour [at 7 a.m.] after getting off of work at 4 a.m … Why is that OK? You want me to answer a 911 call, God forbid I run into a robbery with a man with a firearm and now I gotta make a split second decision with three hours of sleep?” Jason said.
“It is not cognitively safe, but yet the job doesn’t care. … You’re expected to be this big, bad police officer, impenetrable, like Superman. You have a tough chest and shield, nothing is supposed to bother you.”
Meanwhile, the booming overtime is burning a hole straight through the city’s coffers.
The NYPD is on pace to spend $600 million on uniformed staff overtime in fiscal year 2023 – 61% more than the $372 million budgeted, according to figures from the Independent Budget Office.
In response, an NYPD representative said the department has a “moral imperative” to support the “mental health and wellness” of its officers.
“We rolled out new initiatives like executive and command-level Health and Wellness training, a peer support program and increased staffing resources. We have sought input from mental health experts, medical facilities, other police departments and current members of service,” the rep said.
“We encourage any of our employees who are having challenges at work or at home to reach out to any of our employee resources so that they can get the help and support they deserve.”
Revolving-door justice
Ever since the state’s controversial criminal justice reforms took effect, police work has felt “disheartening” and pointless because of how quickly suspects are turned back on the streets, Jack said.
“They want activity again, they want guys going out there making summonses, making arrests, and people are just like, ‘Why am I going to do that?’ ” the officer said.
“By the time I finish the paperwork, he’s out, and I’m still sitting in the precinct processing all the paperwork. It’s disheartening.”
Michael said the political environment has become so tense, supervisors are throwing their underlings under the bus more often and officers have become afraid to do their jobs.
“For instance, vehicle pursuits. You’re not supposed to do vehicle pursuits, but if you chase the guy and then you’re able to stop him without anything going wrong, they’re fine with it as long as you get the gun. But if he crashes into a house or something, they’ll sell you out to the wolves and say, ‘We told you not to do vehicle pursuits,’ ” Michael said.
“That’s why they love to say [the patrol guide is] a ‘guide.’ It’s a guide when everything’s going OK and smooth, but when it goes bad, it becomes the book of law against you.”
He criticized recent remarks from Gov. Kathy Hochul that fears over rising crime are nothing more than propaganda cooked up by GOP operatives.
“It just shows that she doesn’t have a clue of anything or actually care about the common citizens,” Michael said.
“Forget about how she feels about cops. She hates us, everything she says about crime is a lie.”
‘The NYPD has become Dante’s Inferno‘
In 2019, before the inflation crisis, the poverty line in the five boroughs for a family of four was $36,262.
The starting pay for an NYPD officer is just $6,238 above that — $42,500.
For the past five and a half years, the Police Benevolent Association has been fighting for salary increases and other changes, but the battle has been going on for so long, cops are fleeing to other jobs with higher pay because they can’t survive any longer.
“People aren’t going to jeopardize their freedom and their livelihood for what they’re getting paid right now,” Michael said.
“You can’t be a young guy that’s looking to start a family that’s living in the city with this money.”
Cops with the Port Authority Police Department make $46,958 annually after graduating from the academy and then $57,753 a year later – and at the New York State Park Police, cops who work in the five boroughs or Long Island now receive a starting pay of $78,034.
Outside of New York, cops with the San Francisco Police Department, where the cost of living is similar to the Big Apple, the starting pay is $103,116 a year, and after seven years of service, it jumps to $147,628 annually.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, put up recruitment ads in the Big Apple’s subway system earlier this year. Its new cops receive a $20,000 signing bonus, $6,000 in rental assistance and a $60,199 starting salary.
“When cops joined the NYPD back in the day, the whole mentality was to stay until 20 years on. Now the NYPD has become Dante’s Inferno, waiting around as a stepping stone for something better,” Derrick said.
At William’s precinct, five people recently quit for out-of-state jobs and other New York police agencies, and some cops are even trying to join the city Sanitation Department.
“The job don’t care. Guys would rather pick up garbage than deal with this s–t,” he said.
A path forward
Still, some of the officers who spoke to The Post said there are upsides to being one of New York’s Finest.
“It’s rewarding to, you know, go in and do your job well … even just surprising yourself on what you come up with, with creative problem-solving or figuring something out. I find the work to be rewarding,” Noah said.
“I’m pretty fortunate that I went in with the right mindset, and I didn’t think I was going to be playing hero every day. I knew that it was going to be a public service. … [The job] is what I expected it to be, and I went in and put my nose to the grindstone and would say that I tried to prove my worth, and I ended up in a role that I really enjoy.”
Paul said if it weren’t for the “politics,” policing would be a “dream job.”
“Being a police officer is a front-row ticket to the greatest show on earth,” the officer said.
“Being able to interact with different people from all walks of life on a daily basis is a blessing. It’s a learning experience every day I wake up, and it’s amazing.”
The officers also provided a myriad of solutions to some of the problems plaguing the department.
Switching from a five-day work week to a condensed schedule of either three 12-hour shifts or four 10-hour shifts – which is done at the FDNY, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the MTA police department – would do wonders for morale, the officers said.
“We are under so much stress at work, working overtime that is mandated, unable to see our families, and for what? To lock up bad guys that get released the very next day to do it all over again?” Derrick said.
“If the NYPD really cares about its members, make 12-hour shifts, working three days a week. That will boost morale significantly. … More family time and time to decompress is priceless.”
In 2012, the Department of Justice conducted a study on the impact of shift lengths on policing performance and found officers on 10-hour shifts got “significantly” more sleep, clocked less overtime and reported a better quality of work life than their peers working 8-hour shifts.
The NYPD could also pay incentives to those working in high-crime, busy police precincts and rotate officers who work inside with those working on patrol and answering 911 calls, some of the cops suggested. In addition, the department could involve the rank-and-file in the decision-making process when implementing new crime-control strategies and create a clear path to advancement to cut down on nepotism, the officers said.
An NYPD representative didn’t address many of the issues cited by the cops who talked to The Post but said the department and policing “continues to evolve in a positive direction.
“We are seeking out individuals to be a part of this change and the future of the department,” the rep said. “The NYPD’s goal is also to attract a diverse pool of candidates interested in serving the city. Joining the NYPD means taking an oath to protect and serve your fellow citizens.
“While recent events outside of the department continue to present challenges to recruitment efforts, we continue to focus on the positive results that happen when someone joins this organization. This is a phenomenal police department, and each and every day, police officers help and protect people.”
When it comes to securing a higher starting salary, the PBA said it is working with a neutral arbitrator to finally wrap up contract negotiations and get a longer-term settlement that’ll last longer than two years.
“Every New York City police officer knows why the Department is experiencing a staffing crisis,” PBA President Patrick Lynch said in a statement. “We have said it ten thousand times: the below-market pay and crushing workload are driving the Finest to pursue their law enforcement careers elsewhere.
“We have brought the solutions to these problems to the new leaders in both City Hall and 1 Police Plaza. They have been open to working with us on them, but they need to ramp up the urgency. This isn’t just a priority for our union – it is an emergency for the entire city.”
