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NYPD Budget Cuts Could Bring Back 90s-Era Crime
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Mar 17, 2010
Modified Mar 17, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Mar 17, 2010
Modified Mar 17, 2010
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If June 2011 budget cuts go through as planned, the city's police force will drop to just 32,817, reports the Daily News. That's over 8,000 less than the city's peak of 40,864 in October 2000, and would bring us to the lowest headcount since 1990. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. said, "These cuts will bring us back to a time when people had to put 'No Radio' signs in their cars and squeegee men roamed the streets."
It could also bring back higher murder and rape rates. NYPD statistics show that murder in south Manhattan has gone down 87.1% since 1990, and rape has decreased 58.9%. Numbers are similarly down all over the city. However, last year's Police Academy graduating class was its lowest in 15 years, with just 112 graduates. Kelly told the News that they would do what they could with lower funding, such as seeking out federal funding for new technology. Wherever they find it, Vallone is adamant about needing more "so we don't allow our police department to be decimated...Not even Batman could do more with this." Which is a silly analogy, considering Bruce Wayne is probably richer than Bloomberg, but let's not split hairs.
Tagged
bloomberg
budget
Budget cuts
crime
money
nypd
Jaya Saxena
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