NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Good news for the NYPD and FDNY: New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a set of budget cut rollbacks on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite the budget cuts announced last November, the mayor now says there have been "better than anticipated tax revenues" and that his administration has figured out ways to lower the costs associated with the migrant crisis, including renegotiating contracts for food services.
As a result, Adams announced on Wednesday:
"We have been able to restore funding for the April police academy class; this means 600 additional police officers will be on the streets protecting New Yorkers coming this fall. These officers will join three additional police classes that were already scheduled to graduate this year ... We have good news for the FDNY, as we restore the fifth firefighter at 20 of the city's engine companies. More firefighters on the job is always a good thing."
Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro told PIX11 News there are 193 engine companies in the city, and while he's grateful for the five members at 20 of the companies, it's not enough.
"Engine companies in every single neighborhood in the city should be staffed with five firefighters. It gets the water on the fire faster, it helps save lives and reduce the loss of property in the city," he added.
The FDNY fire houses where the five-member crews will be restored are:
- Engine 5 in the East Village
- Engine 54 in Midtown
- Engine 58 in Harlem
- Engine 65 in Midtown
- Engine 50 in Morrisania
- Engine 42 in Mt. Hope
- Engine 48 in Fordham
- Engine 62 in Gun Hill
- Engine 156 in West Brighton
- Engine 158 in Mariners Harbor
- Engine 247 in Borough Park
- Engine 235 in Bed-Sty
- Engine 298 in Jamaica
- Engine 308 in Ozone Park
- Engine 260 in Dutch Kills/Long Island City
- Engine 324 in Flushing Meadows/Corona
- Engine 231 in Brownsville
- Engine 236 in Cyprus Hills
- Engine 248 in East Flatbush
- Engine 283 in Brownsville.
As for the restored April Police Academy class.
"There is no greater investment in public safety than an NYPD officer," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said.
NYC PBA President Patrick Hendry told PIX11 News the 600-officer class is good but does not address the overall staffing needs of the department. Hendry said 3,000 officers retired or took other jobs last year. He said there are nearly 7,000 fewer officers now than in 2001. Hendry cited a lack of salary incentives and 22- and 25-year pension plans instead of 20.
"In the NYPD right now, we're overworked, understaffed, not being able to get days off, not being able to get meals, having to work enormous amounts of overtime ... our police officers are at their breaking point right now," Hendry told PIX11 News.
Hendry said the PBA is working with the Adams Administration to get support for legislation to increase police officer incentives.