Cuomo supports Adams’ proposal to add 5,000 more NYPD officers.

Cuomo Supports Adams’ Police Hiring Plan

On Saturday, Andrew Cuomo expressed his support for Mayor Eric Adams’ initiative to recruit 5,000 new police officers. This strategy seems aimed at overshadowing Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani ahead of Tuesday’s elections.

Cuomo emphasized that, “Our police force is at an all-time low historically. With one of the highest turnover rates, we’re losing officers due to understaffing and their demanding schedules.” He noted that officers are often forced to work weekends and extra hours, which leads to burnout and resignations. “If we bring in 5,000 more police officers, we might finally have enough personnel to cover regular shifts,” he added.

The plan proposed by Adams aims to boost the NYPD’s workforce from under 34,000 to 40,000 by 2029, marking the largest force size in nearly two decades. However, the hiring initiative is projected to cost around $17.8 million next year, escalating to $315.8 million by 2029, pending approval from a progressive City Council.

During his campaign, Cuomo, who has been closing the gap in some surveys with front-runner Mamdani, directly challenged those leftist rivals who’ve shown support for reducing police funding. “Mamdani has spoken against increasing police officer numbers,” Cuomo remarked. “So we’re left with two possibilities: Either he understands public safety better than Mayor Adams — who has a solid background, having served with the NYPD for 22 years — or he thinks he knows better than the police chief.”

Cuomo also tried to distinctly separate himself from the Queens representative. He remarked, “Or maybe he knows more than I do. I was governor for 11 years and managed the state police for the same period, collaborating with the NYPD.” He suggested that either Mamdani is a superior public safety expert or that his campaign is merely a political stunt, reflecting the ideology of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“Socialists oppose the police,” Cuomo continued, recalling Mamdani’s previous statements labeling the NYPD as corrupt and a security threat. “He’s advocated for defunding and disarming the police, and now he’s indicating he doesn’t support adding more officers, which aligns with his prior rhetoric.”

In response, Mamdani has distanced himself from his earlier support for “defunding the police” and has apologized for his remarks regarding NYPD officers.

The leading Democratic candidate is suggesting a budget of $1.1 billion to establish a new community safety agency focused on mental health support for police officers. He also indicated he would keep Tisch as police chief if elected.