The New York City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio are agreeing to budget terms that include a one billion dollar cut to the NYPD budget. The cuts mean the July police recruiting class will be cancelled, overtime reduced and plans for a new precinct station in Rockaway scrapped. Mayor de Blasio says the money cut from the police department will go to summer youth programing, education and NYCHA Recreation Centers among other things..
“We have to keep the city safe. We have to protect the levels of patrol strength throughout our communities and we had to make sure that we were really doing something to refocus resources on young people.”
And the mayor says he believes the budget does all of those.