Former NYPD Chief Warns of Major Cuts to Police Department Under New Mayor
Eric Adams greets NYPD officers before the Parade of Heroes on Broadway Wednesday, July 7, 2021 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams)
Byline: Saturday, 08 November 2025 01:22 PM EST
Former New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told Newsmax that New York City should prepare for a smaller police department. Kelly said the mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani plans to reduce the size of the NYPD significantly. “He wants to start another agency. It’s a community safety agency, but he wants it to be a billion-dollar agency,” Kelly explained. He added that the money for this new agency would come from the NYPD budget, which is 95% personnel costs. Kelly stated that reducing the budget would inevitably lead to fewer officers, though the exact scale remains unclear.
Kelly expressed concerns about Mamdani’s potential policies, noting that the mayor-elect has criticized the NYPD as racist and biased, claiming it creates crimes. While Mamdani initially supported defunding the police, he shifted his stance after realizing it might harm his election chances. Kelly emphasized that officers are worried about a new Civilian Complaint Review Board, which Mamdani aims to place in charge of disciplinary actions within the NYPD, stripping authority from the police commissioner.
Several major police departments across the country have begun recruiting efforts to attract current NYPD officers, anticipating potential departures due to Mamdani’s policies.
