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January
31, 2003
Bloomberg Tastes P.D. ‘Spirit’
Faces Tough Crowd at Graduation
By Mark Daly
The Jan.22 Police Department graduation ceremony for 2,100 recruits
began with a chorus of boos for Mayor Bloomberg, but ended with
applause after he praised cops for continuing to reduce crime rates.
The 10,000 relatives and friends of graduates who packed the stands
appeared to be reacting to Mr. Bloomberg’s warnings this month
that the NYPD might lay off officers to meet his demand for additional
budget cuts this year.
Too Close to Home
The graduates, as the department’s newest hires, would have
been first in line to lose their jobs if the Mayor had carried out
his threat.
Mr. Bloomberg has since vowed to make cuts elsewhere to avoid layoffs,
but he refused to rule them out if the largest police union, the
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, fails to agree to changes
in officers’ working hours that the city wants in order to
boost productivity.
Mr. Bloomberg brushed off the less-than-welcoming reception in
his remarks to reporters afterward.
“I think most people cheered. There were a handful who weren’t
thrilled.” He said. “The spirit of the NYPD is good.
We’re doing all the right things, and I think most people
in the Garden understood that.”
Audiences at the traditionally boisterous ceremony have booed past
Mayors, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was jeered when he appeared
after reaching a difficult contract through arbitration with the
PBA.
‘Comes With the Job’
Mayors have always gotten a little static,” Police Commissioner
Raymond W. Kelly said in defense of Mr. Bloomberg. “It comes
with the territory. He’s made some tough decisions, and we’re
going to have to make some more.”
Police officials described the class as one of the most diverse
and best-educated ever. Nearly a quarter of the graduates have four-year
degrees, which is double the educational requirement. Minorities
made up 48 percent of the class, compared to 37 percent of the current
force.
Many of the graduates will be assigned to high-crime areas as part
of “Operation Impact,” the NYPD’s effort to continue
blanket coverage in dangerous neighborhoods despite a continuing
drop in its headcount.
Lowest in 7 years
The new class will replace half of the nearly 4,000 officers who
have left the department in the past two years. The city budget
calls for the force to drop another 600 through attrition to reach
37,210 by July, the lowest headcount since 1996.
The department continues to rack up successes despite the belt-tightening,
said Mr. Kelly, who noted that city-wide crime in the previous week
was down 11 percent from the same time last year.
“We’re trying to cut the budget without cutting services,”
Mr. Bloomberg said. “If there’s any part of government
t that has done that over the last 12 ½ months, it’s
the NYPD.
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