New York City police officers are leaving the ranks by the thousands before their retirement because the city's administration does not support them, former New York City Commissioner Brian Andersson, who served under Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, said on Newsmax Monday.
"It doesn't surprise me, but it's also very frightening," Andersson said on Newsmax's National Report." "I was raised with a lot of family members and friends [who are] police officers, and they look forward to doing their 20 years and out. That was reasonable, but now it's actually unbearable."
His comments come after the New York Post reported this weekend that almost 2,000 officers are planning to quit the ranks before they get their full pensions, up by 71% from 2021.
"That's almost twice the number from last year, and what we've got to do is we've got to add those numbers up, so now we're talking about almost 3,000 officers, experienced in some manner, leaving the force," said Andersson. "The net result is less-qualified or less-trained individuals on the street, less-institutional memory, and more reason to have encounters that may not have to happen.
"It's all about public safety at the end of the day, and that's what's frightening about the fact too, that they're leaving before they qualify for their pensions."
At the same time, public sentiment has turned against policing, said Andersson.
"The criticism they have faced over these past years, it's just been so negative, and assumed the attitudes that these officers face daily from people," he said. "They're second-guessed all the time. They don't feel the administration has their backs. These or not exactly optimal working conditions.
"During the Giuliani years, the mayor gave them clear messaging: 'Go out and do your job, and we've got your back.' We saw the results. Crime dropped."
Andersson also commented on the Post's reports that Jose Alba, the bodega worker who was cleared of murder charges after killing an armed man who had assaulted him in the store, is returning to his home country in the Dominican Republic.
"It was very clear what was happening there, and this man, an immigrant who comes to America because this is the land of law and order, puts himself in a position where he had to defend himself, and he's the one charged with murder," said Andersson. "You come to this country, you work hard, you just want to make a living for yourself, and then, of course, you're facing the unthinkable where someone comes in and tries to attack you in your workplace."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.