A wave of New York police officers called for the removal in the weeks after George Floyd’s death on May 25, refocusing on police morale amid widespread protests and calls to dismantle enforcement of the law.
New York police told Fox News on Saturday that 272 officers applied for retirement between Floyd’s death and June 23. That represents a 49 percent increase over the same period in 2019.
Actual resignations and retirements have been relatively stable, with 135 retirements in 2020 and 131 during the same period last year. According to the department, that is because the recent series of submissions has yet to be processed. The department saw 35 resignations in 2019 compared to 36 so far in 2020.
Hundreds of policemen were reportedly injured when protests, sometimes violent, shook the nation. That included hundreds of New York police as the city weighed in on cutting its budget and transferring funds to other programs in the city.
NYPD COMMANDER LEAVES BRONX SEAL FOR LAST TIME AFTER WITHDRAWING IN PROTEST
Police Charitable Association President Patrick Lynch told The New York Post that officers were at their “breaking point.”
“We all ask the same question: ‘How can we continue to do our work in this environment?'” He said. “And that is exactly what the anti-police crowd wants. If we don’t have police because nobody wants to be a police, they will have achieved their ultimate goal.”
On Thursday, the Post reported that a Bronx precinct commander decided to resign over the handling of police reform by the New York Police Department. Deputy Inspector Richard Brea reportedly disagreed with the department’s decision to disband his crime-fighting unit.
Amid mounting riots, politicians have proposed a variety of reforms at the federal and local levels. Departments across the country have also seen a string of layoffs related to controversial police encounters.
Former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was quickly fired after he shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, 27, in what some have defended as a justified use of force. After the city accused Rolfe of murder, a wave of city police officers called without a job.
Proponents of reform have generally argued that the justice system is riddled with systemic racism and needs radical change to protect African-Americans from brutality.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved a major police reform proposal, which its sponsor described as a “victory” against police brutality.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Today’s bipartisan passage of the George Floyd Police Justice Act in the House is not just a victory for the Black Caucus of Congress and its founding members who first defended the legislation to address the issue of police brutality “Rep. Karen Bass, Democrat for California. Said.
“This is a victory for our entire country. For too long, African Americans have endured systemic racism and discrimination, especially by the police. Congress may have written this bill, but the people own it. Now that This landmark bill has passed the House, we call on our colleagues in the Senate to commit to negotiating in good faith the provisions introduced by the House on the George Floyd Police Justice Act. “
