What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

This hiring season the NYPD was only able to fill 1/4 of the open positions...it is NOW that they're blaming the shortage on the low starting salary...Didn't they foresee this happening? I mean it doesn't take a genius to figure this out...I'm wonderign about their whole rationale on this....

Last time I checked it was $37K...it is now down to $25K...what are they nuts? How can ANYONE survive on that type of a salary in this city?????? Never mind putting your life in danger every day!

It's just mind boggling...

Message edited 5/22/2007 4:18:27 PM.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

The starting salary is pathetic.

How can you ask someone to put their life on the line, yet live at the poverty level?

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

My brother is a cop. He said it's definately the salary thing b/c they also loosened the requirements and still can't get enough candidates. It's a tough job and it's a shame they don't get paid enough. Although their salary does jump once they leave the Academy, but I don't remember how much.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

Message edited 5/22/2007 4:14:16 PM.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

The rationale is that there is no money to pay the cops. That's what the city *supposedly* can afford to pay. But there was a budget surpus this year and homeowners have gotten STAR rebates the past few years.

Message edited 5/22/2007 4:14:12 PM.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

To be paid $25K per year to risk your life, and have to have two years of college?

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

to me that is insane- $25K is nothing

the rookie fire fightesr get more

I hate to say it- but you get what you pay for- we called the police back in October- they sent 2 cops- 1 barely spoke english and neither seem to know the laws

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

The entry level pay and the low top pay in comparison to other local agencies is why no one I talk to wants to be a cop in the city - and those that do take the city test and consider the job, only see it as a stepping stone or something to do while they wait for nassau, suffolk, or port authority to call.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

But this is getting totally ridiculous and out of line...these people are supposed to be in the front line of protecting the communities...their morale is definitely being driven down...some of them in my neighborhood are such a$$holes...but can we really blame them????

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

Message edited 5/22/2007 4:22:09 PM.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

Yea its freaken INSANE!

Now try telling my brother all of this. He doesnt care what starting pay is..the danger of it or anything else. He WILL be a nyc cop and it breaks our hearts. Even my dad and uncle who are both retired off the force are trying to tell him not to do it. He doesnt care, its what he wants.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

I said when they lowered the salary for NYPD cops they were not going to get many people. It turned out to be true. That's a shame!

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

DH was in the NYPD recruit class that was the first to get the pay cut. It was rediculous and we could not live on it. Plus, they make you pay for your supplies, which can run about $3k. DH did not stay, but his friends who did didn't get the pay raise right away. It took weeks for some, a couple of months for others. It only goes up to $32k too. It's got to be the salary. The cost of living is sky high...just go to your local gas station, or look at the price of milk...no one can do it on $25k.

Didn't Bloomberg want to get a new stadium?

Message edited 5/22/2007 5:29:39 PM.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

I personally think they have it backwards.
Instead of hiring people with college credits and questionable backgrounds, they should recruit kids out of HS with totally clean backgrounds ala the 70's.

My reasoning is that someone right out of HS will be happy to have a job that pays $25K with an opportunity for advancement and will stay clean for the job.
People who go to college, wether it be two years or just the required credits, are not going to take a job that pays $25K, they have many more opportunities.

Hiring people with criminal backgrounds goes into a whole other can of worms IMO.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

If they only filled 1/4 of the spots that means there should be a surplus in the pay budget...take that money and give current cops on the job a big fat unexpected bonus, no one desrves it more than them!

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

DH is a SGT in NYPD...he told me that when the PO settled their last contract with the city...through PERB, they agreed to lower the starting salary to 25K...just so the city would pay them 5% for yr 1 of no contract and another 5% for yr 2. So basically the city (Bloomberg) doesn't think that POs deserve a decent raise or a decent salary. Its crazy these contract agreements...the city always wants the PO's, SGT's LT's to work more days and get less of a raise than the previous contract. I believe that Sanitation Workers earn more money...and they do deserve the money they make...but so do the police.

Re: What is your take on the shortage of NYPD rookies?

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It's equally, if not more disturbing that the city is more willing to lower the standards than to raise salaries. The responsibilities of cops are enormous, so I would think you would want the most qualified people you can get. These are the people that are responsible for our safety and well-being every day, and you lower the standards?? That's ridiculous. This position should demand qualified, intelligent, capable individuals and by lowering the salary, all the city is doing is pushing away all the good qualified individuals who may have really wanted to be cops but were smart enough to understand that they couldn't eek out a living on such an outrageous salary. I think it's disgusting. $25K to risk your life? never.




Not to mention they never have the support of the city or Bloomberg....under any circumstances