Mamdani walks back plan to increase NYPD headcount following DSA pressure

New York City's new budget does not include a potential police department headcount boost authorization that had been on the table, reports indicate.

Big Apple Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, said during a Tuesday press conference, "So, I've been talking to all agency heads about ways to find savings, and Commissioner Tisch and I were able to identify ways to keep the NYPD headcount at the originally authorized 35,000 while also meeting all of our crime-fighting needs and implementing the new programs that were announced earlier this year."

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office on Wednesday.

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The NYPD provided Fox News Digital with the following statement on Wednesday: "It is no secret that the city is facing serious financial challenges, and the mayor has asked every agency head to find efficiencies. Commissioner Tisch has led three city agencies over the course of her career, and few public servants have a stronger record of finding efficiencies, modernizing operations, and delivering results for New Yorkers even under the most difficult budget conditions. For now, the department is able to police effectively with the budgeted headcount we have, driving crime down month after month. That headcount and our hiring plan gives us the flexibility we need to maintain that balance over the next fiscal year."

The New York City Democratic Socialists of America had spoken out against the prospect of an increase earlier this month.

Part of a statement posted on the left-wing group's X profile, which appeared to also have been joined by several other groups, declared, "We are calling on Mayor Mamdani to reverse this proposed expansion of the NYPD and invest the money in community safety programs instead."

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The NYC-DSA reposted City Council member Tiffany Cabán's statement hailing the news about the budget on Tuesday.

"I am proud too have worked closely with the Mayor and public safety advocates to ensure there was no increase to the NYPD's headcount in this budget," Cabán said. "Every dollar we spend on policing and incarceration means money we can't spend on housing, mental health care, substance use treatment, and economic stability: the proven policies that actually keep our communities healthy and safe."

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"This budget is an important check on the failed policy of broken windows policing and will allow us to build a public safety infrastructure rooted in care, not punishment and incarceration. And we will keep building on it," she added.

Fox News' Matthew Donnell contributed to this report.