Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that the NYPD’s $ 6 billion budget cuts would be “very, very substantial” amid calls to cut $ 1 billion from the department’s coffers.
“We are working with the City Council at this time. We don’t have a final dollar figure, but we will do something very, very substantial, “de Blasio said on WNYC radio’s” The Brian Lehrer Show, “adding:” We will know more in the coming days. “
“I think we are moving in a very good direction,” said the mayor.
De Blasio previously promised to cut an unspecified amount of NYPD funds and said he will move to youth initiatives and social services.
“I am convinced for the next few days. I am very hopeful that we will reach a positive outcome with the council, a major shift in NYPD funding to youth services and other community needs,” said the mayor. at WNYC.
Meanwhile, de Blasio during the same interview said that regardless of reform initiatives, there will be layoffs by the New York police if the city does not receive financial help from Washington, DC, or the state to stop the coronavirus-induced budget crisis. from the city.
He threatened that there would be cuts in “every agency, uniform and civil” to close the $ 1 billion budget gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, de Blasio said 22,000 municipal employees in all city agencies could lose their jobs to create $ 1 billion in cuts needed to balance the budget.
“The firing of 22,000, which we hope we never have to experience again, is every agency, uniform and civil,” the mayor said Friday.
“Begin by assuming each agency’s percentage of our budget,” de Blasio said, explaining that “the NYPD on civilian employees is more than 50,000 out of 380,000. [civilian employees across all agencies]. “
“It is a big part of the budget,” said Hizzoner. “So if we get to that point of layoffs, it’s going to affect the NYPD, it’s going to affect all agencies.”
De Blasio called it “tragic” and “horrible” that “if we don’t get another source of income, we literally have no choice but to start cutting our workforce, which I don’t want to do a bit of.”
“I am trying to find another source of income and there are only two places where I can get it: Washington, which is not acting, and Albany, which could give us the lending authority to help us get ahead and I hope to achieve that in the next few days,” said.
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