In the Executive Budget, spending on the New York City Police Department (NYPD) totals $10.9 billion in fiscal year 2023, comprised of the $5.3 billion NYPD operating budget and $5.7 of “centrally allocated” costs, including $2.6 billion for fringe benefits, $2.9 billion for pensions, and $214 million for debt service.

The Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget Adds Over $140 million Annually to the NYPD City-Funded Budget

Compared to the Preliminary Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, the City-funded NYPD operating budget is more than $140 million higher in each year of the plan: $151 million higher in fiscal year 2022, $182 million in fiscal year 2023, $145 million in fiscal year 2024, $146 million in fiscal year 2025, and $142 million in fiscal year 2026. (See Table 1.)

These increases are attributable primarily to collective bargaining agreements. The City settled contracts covering the 2017 to 2021 collective bargaining period with the Detectives Endowment Association (DEA) and Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) in December 2021.¹ The agreements, which follow the pattern of other uniformed bargaining units, cost $119 million in fiscal year 2023 and continue at roughly this level throughout the plan period. These costs, however, did not increase total City spending since the funds were transferred to the NYPD from the labor reserve, which already included funding sufficient for the 2017 pattern.

Additional new funds are for data infrastructure, cyber security, lease adjustments, and spending for new Neighborhood Safety Teams and Gun Violence Strategic Partnership initiatives. Budget documents report that these initiatives “support tablet computers in police vehicles as well as mobile phones for all uniform members of service,” “overall expansion of NYPD’s cyber security tools,” “staffing to support the Gun Violence Strategic Partnership,” and “dashboard camera systems and install Automatic License Plate Recognition software on vehicles for Neighborhood Safety Teams.”²

Lastly, due to higher than projected energy costs, the Executive Budget increased energy funding in most agency budgets, including the NYPD.

Overtime Funding Increases $94 Million in Fiscal Year 2022 and $18 Million in Fiscal Years 2023 to 2026; However, More Funds Will Likely Be Needed, Absent Changes in Managerial Control, Policies, and Procedures

The NYPD overtime budget increases approximately $94 million in fiscal year 2022 and $18 million in fiscal year 2023, compared to the Preliminary Budget. (See Table 2.) Most of the increase is uniformed overtime, which increases by $92 million in fiscal year 2022 and $18 million in fiscal year 2023, to $524 million and $372 million, respectively. About $18 million annually of the overtime increase is included in the collective bargaining funds for DEA and SBA, while the remainder is a shift within the existing budget.³

Through April, NYPD expenditures for fiscal year 2022 overtime already totaled $617 million; CBC estimates that overtime spending will reach $743 million by fiscal year end.⁴ This exceeds the newly modified Executive Budget by $136 million. Meaningful recurring reductions in NYPD overtime depend on effective managerial controls and changes to NYPD policies and procedures.

The Executive Budget Changes to NYPD Headcount Are Minimal

The Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget made few changes to NYPD authorized headcount levels. Uniform headcount is constant throughout the plan years at 35,030, the same level as February 2022. Civilian headcount increases by 18 positions by fiscal year 2024, compared to the February 2022 Financial Plan. (See Table 3.)