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New York City Police Department
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The New York City Police Department (NYPD), established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. The NYPD was the first police department in the United States.
Overview
The NYPD has a broad array of specialized services, including tactical operations, K-9, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism, intelligence, anti-gang, narcotics, public transportation, and public housing.
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Encyclopedia
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. The NYPD was the first police department in the United States.
Overview
The NYPD has a broad array of specialized services, including tactical operations, K-9, harbor patrol, air support, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism, intelligence, anti-gang, narcotics, public transportation, and public housing. NYPD has extensive crime scene investigation and laboratory resources, as well as units which assist with computer crime investigations. The NYPD's headquarters at One Police Plaza houses an anticrime computer network, essentially a large search engine and data warehouse operated by detectives to assist officers in the field with their investigations. According to the department, its mission is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide for a safe environment."
The New York City Transit Police and Housing Police were fully integrated into the NYPD in 1995; Police officers are randomly assigned to the Transit and Housing units upon graduation of the police academy. Members of the NYPD are frequently referred to by the nickname New York's Finest. The NYPD is headquartered at One Police Plaza located on Park Row across the street from City Hall.
The size of the force has fluctuated, depending on crime rates, politics, and available funding. The overall trend, however, shows that the number of sworn officers is decreasing. In June 2004, there were about 40,000 sworn officers plus several thousand support staff; In June 2005, that number dropped to 35,000. As of November 2007, it had increased to slightly over 36,000 with the graduation of several classes from the Police Academy. The NYPD's current authorized uniformed strength is 37,838.
There are also approximately 4,500 Auxiliary Police Officers, 5,000 School Safety Agents, 2,300 Traffic Enforcement Agents, and 370 Traffic Enforcement Supervisors currently employed by the department.
Duty shifts
In the NYPD, one day is divided into three 8-hour and 35-minute shifts: 11:15 PM to 7:50 AM (called a 12 to 8), 7:05 AM to 3:40 PM (called an 8 to 4) and 3:00 PM to 11:35 PM (called a 4 to 12). Officers work 5 of these shifts per week based upon a a rotating "scooter" chart schedule (ie. 5 working days, 2 days off then another 5 working but now instead of 2 there are 3 days off)
5 & 2, 5 & 3 is known as a "rotating duty chart," a scooter chart entails the working of an alternating week of day tours (8x4) followed by a week of 4x12's, while rotating through a 5 &2, 5&3 duty chart.
History
Salary and retention issues
After years of bitter wrangling that saw starting pay for new officers fall to as low as $25,100 a year, the city and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association on Aug. 21, 2008 reached agreement on a new four-year contract.
The contract, which runs from August 1, 2006 to July 31, 2010, gives police officers a 17 percent pay raise over its four-year life, and raises starting pay from $35,881 to $41,975, and top pay from $65,382 to approximately $76,000 annually. With longevity pay, holiday pay, night shift differential and other additions, the total annual compensation for officers receiving top pay will be approximately $91,823, not including overtime. It should also be noted that this is the first contract since 1994 the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the City of New York mutually agreed on without involving a mediator.
While an improvement on the expired contract, the new terms still leave a substantial gap between the NYPD and nearby departments that pay considerably more, up to $50,000 for new hires and over $100,000 for more experienced officers. Over the years, hundreds of city officers have left for higher paying jobs with other agencies, notably the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department, Westchester County police departments, and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey.
Discontent over pay issues has become so widespread and so well-known that higher-paying departments in lower cost-of-living areas, such as the Rochester, New York Police, the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police, and the Seattle Police Department, are actively recruiting NYPD officers to join their forces.
Police departments in neighboring Rockland County and Westchester County have top base salaries ranging from around $85,000 to $105,000, not counting longevity, uniform pay, overtime and benefits. In 2007 a Westchester County Department of Public Safety officer reportedly made over $250,000 (with overtime), making him the highest paid police officer in the United States.
Large numbers of NYPD officers have also migrated to the New York City Fire Department, where, even though pay is comparable with that of the NYPD, work schedules are more attractive and relations with the public more amicable. Contract changes in 2006, however, now forbid the prior practice of allowing police officers who join the fire department to transfer their seniority for compensation purposes. With all new firefighters now compelled to begin working at the same starting pay, the number of NYPD officers "rolling over" to the FDNY is likely to fall considerably.
Some NYPD officers charge that the department's leadership is seeking to stem the flow of officers to other jurisdictions by administrative means.
In January 2006, 35 NYPD officers seeking to move to the Port Authority Police sued the New York department, claiming that it was refusing to make their personnel records available to PAPD background investigators. The plaintiffs won an injunction at the trial level, but the Appellate Division in January 2007 overturned that ruling and ordered the case to trial.
For its part, the NYPD claims its actions are merely in line with the personnel practices of other employers and that there is no "stealth" effort to prevent officers from moving elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a fact that no NYPD officers have been included in the last two PAPD police academy classes as a result.
Despite these obstacles, there are signs that the exodus from the NYPD may be accelerating. In 2007, 990 officers resigned before becoming eligible for retirement, on top of 902 who left in 2006, 867 in 2005 and 635 in 2004, which makes for an attrition rate of around two percent. While Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insists that figure compares positively with turnover rates in private industry, police union officials note that the proper comparison should be with prior years on the NYPD. In 1991, for example, only 159 officers left early, for an attrition rate of less than one half of one percent.
Ranks of the NYPD
on Times Square]]
There are twelve sworn titles (referred to as ranks) in the New York City Police Department:
Promotion from Police Officer to Detective- Specialist, a non-investigative rank, is based on merit. Generally, each precinct has one member designated "Detective-Specialist" and they are also found in specialized units. These officers often possess a unique or esoteric skill the department needs, e.g., sharpshooter, scuba instructor, helicopter instructor, sketch artist, etc.
Promotion to Detective-Investigator is based on investigative experience. Generally a Police Officer who is assigned to an investigative assignment for 18 months will be designated "Detective-Investigator". Contrary to what is often portrayed in Hollywood, there is no rank of "detective sergeant" or "detective lieutenant." Sergeants and lieutenants can be assigned to detective squads as supervisors, but the rank of detective carries no supervisory responsibilities.
Promotion to Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain is based on a civil service promotion exam, in which an officer answers 100 multiple choice questions based on Department procedures and the law.
Promotion to Deputy Inspector and above is based on merit and those promotions are made by the Police Commissioner.
The Department is ultimately administered and governed by the Police Commissioner, who is appointed by the Mayor and technically serves a five-year term; however as a practical matter and custom, the Police Commissioner serves at the Mayor's pleasure. The Police Commissioner also appoints numerous Deputy Commissioners. The Police Commissioner and his subordinate Commissioners are civilians under an oath of office, as opposed to the uniformed members of the force who are sworn officers of the law. However, a police commissioner who comes up from the ranks of the sworn members, will retain that status while serving as police commissioner. This has ramifications on their police pensions and the fact that any police commissioner who is considered sworn does not need a pistol permit to carry a firearm, and does retain the statutory powers of a police officer. Some police commissioners (like Ray Kelly) do carry a personal firearm, but they also have a full-time security detail from the Police Commissioner's (Detective) Squad. A First Deputy Police Commissioner may have a security detail when he/she acts as commissioner or under other circumstances as approved by the police commissioner.
Commissioner titles:
These individuals are administrators who supersede the Chief of Department, and they usually specialize in areas of great importance to the Department, such as counter-terrorism, operations, training, public information, legal matters, intelligence, and information technology. Despite their role, as civilian administrators of the Department, they are prohibited from taking operational control of a police situation (with the exception of the First Deputy Commissioner).
Within the rank structure, there are also designations, known as "grades", that connote differences in duties, experience, and pay. However, supervisory functions are generally reserved for the rank of sergeant and above. The title "Detective" is not a chain of command supervisory rank within the New York City Police Department. A "Detective-Investigator" has the equivalent rank of a police officer with the specification "Detective First Grade" (highest), "Detective Second Grade", and "Detective Third Grade". Movies and TV have only perpetuated this misunderstanding by portraying detectives as having supervisory powers. While a First Grade Detective may supervise other detectives in his/her squad, he/she is still outranked in the chain of command by a uniformed police sergeant.
Common designations of the various ranks are listed below:
- Police Officer - First Grade: "Grades" are actually only used to refer to pay "steps" or annual salary increasing gradually until the final "step" which is a large raise. Pay steps for a police officer are predetermined through service time and determined through a negotiated contract. Currently there are six "grades" including a substantial pay reduction for the first six months while training in the Police Academy. After graduating from the academy, the probationary police officer will receive small raises of one to two thousand dollars annually until they have completed five full years whereupon they will receive a large raise (10 to 15 thousand dollars) to "top pay". All police officer "grades" are the same rank, though seniority is respected.
All "Detective Investigators" start at Detective Third Grade, which has a pay rate roughly between that of Police Officers and Sergeants; they can then get "promoted" to Detective Second Grade which has roughly the salary of Sergeants or Detective First Grade which has a pay rate roughly that of Lieutenants.
All "Detective-Specialists" start at third grade, but can be promoted to second or first grade status. It is common knowledge in the NYPD that detective investigators resent the detective specialist rank as these officers are not "detecting" crimes. NYPD is the only police force in the world that uses this rank. Most other reward technical skills or special merit with ranks such as senior patrol officer, technical sergeant or corporal. The detective specialist title was created during the Edward I. Koch mayoralty and has been controversial ever since. They carry the same "gold" shield as detective investigators, further adding to the resentment for the title.
- Sergeant: Supervisor Detective Squad, Special Assignment
- Lieutenant: Commander Detective Squad, Special Assignment
Promotion from Police Officer to Sergeant, Sergeant to Lieutenant, and Lieutenant to Captain all occur via a civil service formula that factors: performance on the civil service written examination for that rank, length of service, citations awarded, optional physical fitness test (for extra points). Promotion beyond the rank of Captain is discretionary.
Promotion to grades within the detective rank is also discretionary.
Badges in the New York City Police Department are referred to as "shields" (the traditional term). Lower rank police officers are identified by their shield number, and tax registry number. Lieutenants and above do not have shield numbers and are identified by tax registry number. All sworn members of NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a red background. Civilian employees of the NYPD have their I.D. card photos taken against a blue background, signifying that they are not commissioned to carry a firearm. All ID cards have an expiration date. Sworn police officers are referred to as "MOS" or, members of the service.
Organization & structure
Line of duty deaths
NYPD Line of Duty deaths| Type | number | Type | number | | 9/11 related | 23 | Accidental | 10 | | Aircraft accident | 7 | Animal related | 17 | | Asphyxiation | 3 | Assault | 31 | | Automobile accident | 50 | Bicycle accident | 4 | | Boating accident | 5 | Bomb | 2 | | Drowned | 12 | Duty related illness | 10 | | Electrocuted | 5 | Explosion | 8 | | Exposure | 1 | Fall | 12 | | Fire | 14 | Gunfire | 321 | | Gunfire (Accidental) | 23 | Heart attack | 44 | | Motorcycle accident | 36 | Stabbed | 24 | | Struck by streetcar | 7 | Struck by train | 5 | | Struck by vehicle | 37 | Structure collapse | 3 | | Terrorist attack | 24 | Vehicle pursuit | 12 | | Vehicular assault | 20 | Total | 758 | |
From December 25, 1806 to November 5, 2007, the NYPD has lost 758 officers in the line of duty. This figure includes officers from agencies that were absorbed or became a part of the modern NYPD in addition to the modern department itself. The NYPD lost 23 officers on September 11, 2001.
Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB)
Allegations of police misconduct
Medals
Demographics
The NYPD is majority white with an increasing number of minority officers. Amongst minorities 17.4% of the officers are African American, 26.5% Hispanic, and 3.8% Asian American. This compares to a city population that is 27% Hispanic, 26.6% African American, and 9.8% Asian American. In 1970, there were only 300 sworn Hispanic officers on the force, in today's department there are over 9,000 sworn Hispanic officers. 2005 marked the first academy class that was majority minority where only 45.2% of the graduates were non-Hispanic Whites. Amongst the white officers, more of the newer recruits live in the city and are of an Eastern European background as opposed to previous generations of white officers who have been largely Irish, Italian, and German and have lived in both the city and surrounding areas.
Affiliations
- The department is affiliated with the New York City Police Museum.
- The department also runs a Summer Youth Police academy to provide positive interaction with police officers and to educate young people about the challenges and responsibility of police work.
- The department also provides a citizen Police Academy which educates the public on basic law and policing procedures.
Service Pistols
Officers of the NYPD are issued a 9mm service pistol that fires in DAO (Double Action Only). Currently authorized pistols for new officers to select from include the SIG P226 (DAO), Smith & Wesson 5906 (DAO), and Glock 19. All are modified to a 12 pound (53 N) trigger pull. Senior officers who joined prior to 1993 are still authorized to carry Smith & Wesson Model 64 & Model 10 .38 Special revolvers.
Fictional portrayals
NYPD Gallery
See also
External links
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