A hat-tip to mayoral spokesman Fred Sainz, who pointed me towards this story in the New York Times today.
The piece takes a look at the New York Police Department, which, according to the Times, is about to shrink to its smallest size in about 15 years.
I’ve spent a lot of time covering San Diego’s recruitment and retention crisis, which reached its apex early last year but calmed down somewhat last summer after the cops were given a sizable pay raise.
Here’s a snippet from the Times story:
… 2,400 officers are set to retire this year and low starting wages are failing to attract enough replacements. Some city officials and others worry that the number of officers will not meet the new, reduced authorized head count.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly warned of the dangers of the cuts on Wednesday after outlining the department’s budget for lawmakers on the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, many of whom seemed to empathize with him.
Citing the steady real estate values in Manhattan, Mr. Kelly said the links between a sizable police force and a vibrant metropolis could not be overstated.
“So I think it’s very important to maintain a robust police force in this department to keep the city moving forward,” he said, “because if we slip, I think — in terms of this level of security, a sense of security — that a lot of other things that are moving in a very positive direction in the city could slip as well.”
Many eyes are on this year’s contract talks between the Police Officers Association and the city. The police union has argued that it needs to secure a further raise for its troops this year in order to keep stemming the flow of cops leaving the force. Officers received between an 8 percent and 9 percent pay boost last year.