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'Stampede' of NYPD officers retiring: report

By FOX 5 NY Staff
Updated  July 3, 2022 9:01am EDT
New York City
FOX 5 NY

Exodus from NYPD ranks

The NYPD is seeing a major exodus of officers. The department said 523 members left in June alone.

NEW YORK - The NYPD is seeing a major exodus of officers, as 523 members left the force in June alone.

123 of those officers resigned, the most resignations the NYPD has seen in a single month in at least a decade.

So far this year, 2,119 police officers have left the NYPD, with 1,472 retiring and 647 resigning. 2022's numbers represent a 38% increase over the previous record of 1,535 for the first six months of 2020, according to the New York Post. 

"The exodus has become a stampede. We’re not only losing experienced veterans. We’re also losing cops in the prime of their careers who are taking their talents elsewhere," Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch told the New York Post.

PBA: Retirements and resignations soaring at NYPD

Retirements and resignations are soaring at the NYPD, with the police union saying that 400 officers retired in June, with another 123 resigning. The union says it's the most in more than a decade.

A photo shared on Twitter by retired NYPD detective Rob O'Donnell showed a crowded room of officers at 1 Police Plaza waiting to turn in their badges. 

"NYPD members are leaving in droves. I’ve been to this office about 2 dozen times and have never seen more than 2-3 people waiting," O'Donnell said.

Last year, a total of 3,152 officers left the NYPD, with 553 members resigning and 2,599 retiring.

NYPD retirements, resignations high

Detectives Endowment Association President Det. Paul DiGiacomo says that with retirements and resignations high at the NYPD, the city will become less safe.

The reasons for the exodus vary. Detectives Endowment Association President Det. Paul DiGiacomo told Good Day New York that he places the blame on the city's vaccine mandate, bail reform laws, and a lack of support from politicians. 

FOX 5 NY reached out to the NYPD for comment on the registrations, which said that the number of retirements is actually declining when compared to the two previous years.