De Blasio: NYC to Shift $1 Billion From NYPD to Social Services

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s presented a plan to the City Council to shift about $1 billion from the police department to social programs.

The issue, coming a day before the city’s June 30 budget deadline, may remove a major obstacle in negotiations because City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has insisted on cutting that amount from the NYPD’s $5.9 billion budget.

The mayor proposed a $95 billion budget in January, then reduced it to $89.3 billion in April, as the virus forced a lockdown that removed billions of dollars in tax revenue. His latest budget, he has said, has been pared down to about $87 billion.