Police are portrayed with exaggerated successes on New York's television networks. Perhaps it's a brainwashing campaign to justify outrageously-expensive vehicles, gear, and compensation. But, the truth is staggering.
Police in foreign capitals earn less than NYC's overpaid cops, and they do a better job. The average income within London's Metropolitan Police Service is an equivalent of $72,000 per year. In Rome, a top-level patrolman earns $72,000. The typical police salary in Beijing is $32,000, plus housing and transit costs. In Japan, police are paid an average of $27,600 annually. In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a police officer is usually paid $34,800 per year. In the Kingdom of Denmark, they receive $38,400. Parisian police are paid $53,000. In Moscow, Russian police earn $58,000. Their lower crime rates, lower quantity of violent crimes, and lower ratio of racial violence prove it. The fact that the same neighborhoods in NYC remain full of crime and lawlessness for 100 years is also proof, while foreign capitals continually improve their districts.
For 2022, London's population is 9,541,000, which is larger than NYC's. However, for the last 8 months, its total crimes focus on 21,536 bicycle thefts, 74,942 robberies, and only 39 murders.
During its latest count in 2020, NYC's population was 8,930,000 (3.4 million were born in other countries). However, its crime is overwhelming. Merely for the month of June 2022, the city experienced 4,467 Grand Larceny crimes, 125 shootings, 59 "hate crimes" against minorities, 355 gun arrests, 2,827 robberies, and 26 murders (homicides).
Where would you prefer to live?
Not surprising for a bloated and greedy organization, NYC's police absurdly demand pay raises on a perpetual basis. Like gangsters, they refuse to work if they don't get them (and somehow, extra crimes occur during the interim and their critics are bullied into abrupt silence). Every mayor and city council agrees to their demands and grants their pay increase. (Taxpayers are never allowed to refuse those decisions). Ludicrously, each of their increases is made "retroactively" through all the years until their previous increase! That is why typical police officers retire at the age of 40 with annual paychecks of $100,000+, with insane amounts of overtime that are allowed to accumulate--which bulks-up the paycheck. Other perks include unlimited Sick Leave with full pay. If they're caught breaking their own laws, they are usually unpunished and receive full pay while being off-duty until a Police Committee absolves them. While typical Americans suffer the smallest amounts of vacation time in the world, after five years, NYPD are luxuriously given 5.4 weeks of vacation (like a European). After merely working for 20 years, officers usually retire and are paid those inflated rates for the rest of their lives, and it is tax-free! They also receive full medical benefits for the rest of their lives. If they live until 80, they collect $2,000,000 in pension payments. Despite being "retired", nearly all of them proceed to get overpaid jobs in the "private security" sector: bodyguards and retail security. So, they earn two paychecks... and live like millionaires... while their city deteriorates. (Sanitation workers, firefighters, transit employees, and civil workers receive similar overcompensation). Since the 1860s, that scheme is a great payoff to ensure that the city's corruption is not stopped by people who witness it. (Even Teddy Roosevelt couldn't stop it as its Police Commissioner in 1895).
Due to its "overtime costs", the NYPD blows-through its annual budgets, without negative repercussions. Without consequences, the budget was supposed to be $5.6 billion, but the NYPD spent a half-billion more! For $500 million above-budget, NYC taxpayers expect to live in an orderly society like Singapore, Osaka, or London... but they live in a crime-infested place evocative of a third-world nation. Furthermore, those overtime hours increase the city's pension obligations. In 2020, the NYPD earned more overtime hours than any other big city in the United States of America... yet its taxpayers don't feel safe, and violent crimes increased. It's a flawed system that allows cops to only respond to petty crimes (which targets ethnic communities) and yet get paid "big bucks" while ignoring significant crime sprees. Police salaries cause the removal of funding for social services, but the city's leadership resists fixing it.
Regardless of political elections, nothing changes. Due to mercurial policies--unchanged since the 1860s--the local political parties guarantee that corrupt people are the only candidates. Therefore, the overtaxed taxpayers don't get reliable choices, and it doesn't matter whom the voters choose.
During the pandemic, citizens were confined at home. Inevitably, they realized how much unstopped crime occurred in their neighborhoods. Reasonably, they questioned why their overpaid police precincts didn't do much about it? In addition, police brutality and its racial prejudices didn't decrease, and it was readily broadcast online (finally forcing the corrupt NYC media to report it--only so they made profits on the trending issues). As if following President Trump's stupidity, some racists attacked random Asians in New York City to blame them for COVID. As usual, the local media was silent about those dozens of incidents until eye-witnesses shared their tales and videos online. As if nothing mattered, the police failed to increase their presence or patrols in Asian communities. The bloody violence continued unstopped. (In 2019, NYC taxpayers funded $68 million of police misconduct lawsuits. The Civilian Complaint Review Board received 4,487 allegations about Undue Force, Abuse of Authority, and Refusal to Provide Name and Badge Number).
All of that prompted taxpayers to demand improved behavior from their police. When police leaders lied and gave their uncaring statements, "Safety is our top priority and we're doing everything possible", it made residents skeptical about the enormous police budget. There are 50,676 police personnel who are each given two guns and 20-pounds of utility equipment. (For comparison, London has 43,571 police who famously don't use guns and have less crime). Many of them cruise around the city in oversized sedans. (Dozens of TV "cop shows" portray criminals fictitiously put into police cars, but you rarely see those backseats carrying anybody in NYC). Why should overtaxed taxpayers (nearly 50% of their paychecks are deducted for taxes) pay for 36,000 officers to be equipped with so much tactical gear if they never use it to thwart criminals? A "Defund the Police" campaign began.
Like spoiled children, the NYPD responded poorly. No, they didn't improve their behavior. Instead, they did fewer things.
Somehow, a frightening trend of looting emerged in Manhattan's priciest districts. Hundreds of maniacal looters raided hundreds of stores and boutiques. At nighttime, they started gathering--amassing size from dozens to hundreds! Residents in skyscrapers recorded on video how the groups accumulated and then marched along streets to their destinations. It was terrifying to watch them act like animals to bash through windows and rampage through stores to steal anything they wanted. Police never impeded them or responded. Police had plenty of time to prepare--since the mobs took 30-minutes to accumulate and then start marching... but there was no police protection. (No, the city didn't refund tax dollars to the harmed businesses). After the first three mass-lootings, businesses spent money and barricaded their storefronts with plywood boards, bars, and security gates over their windows. Online videos show how the next wave of looters used animalistic force to rip gates from the buildings, hurl trashcans through doorways, pry off the wood boards, and ram the storefronts to break in and steal. Each time, there was never any police presence. Cars were ignited on fire, bus stop shelters were ruined, and thousands of dollars of debris littered the streets. Consumers were hurt because their markets and pharmacies lacked products, and businesses laid-off employees as a cost-reduction--which harmed more innocent people. Luxury retailers lost millions of dollars of merchandise, and they were forced to invest tens-of-thousands of dollars to repair and refurbish their boutiques. New Yorkers were unforgiving to their irresponsible and treasonous police. (NYC handled COVID the worst of any city on the planet, so that prompted an exodus of tenants who returned to wherever they came from. People prefer to work "remotely" and don't need to overpay for NYC's inflated rents and prices while enduring third-world infrastructure. NYC's bloated police caused more people to relocate away from the city). There aren't enough mind-numbingly pro-NYC Sex and the City episodes to falsely overcome NYC's dismal corruption to lure residents back.
Such behavior within the police is nothing new. For three years, I worked at a luxury flagship store at a prestigious address on Madison Avenue in the mid-50s of Manhattan. The store was robbed 13 times, yet the first 12 weren't reported by the media. There was never an increased "police presence", as you might expect. In fact, the police never exerted themselves to respond to any of the robberies, until after they were finished. During those incidents, my frightened coworkers dutifully pressed the alarm buttons to alert the police, but they never arrived until the thieves took what they wanted and got away. (By those deplorably low standards, you might think that the store was in a remote mountain without any police, instead of in the center of America's wealthiest city that overpays for the world's biggest police force). Even the overnight burglary wasn't reported by media or stopped by police. Video surveillance showed the thief trying to use a sledgehammer against the store's windows. The retailer that I worked for paid for shatter-proof glass on most of the windows. But it got cheap for the last installation, and merely used regular glass by the entrance. That was inconceivably stupid, but the company was famously cheap, greedy, and corrupt. (Cheap-minded people always make stupid mistakes. Whether it's the BP Oil Spill or a collision of Carnival cruise ships, you're only as strong as your weakest link). Therefore, the robber broke through the windows by the entrance (and defeated the purpose of having any shatter-proof glass). The alarm rang, and the security company dutifully notified the police. But the police never responded. (They didn't have far to travel: the nearest precinct was two streets away! Furthermore, New Yorkers expect their grossly-overpaid police to patrol high-end retail districts at night. At least, somebody in the city's oversized police force should be monitoring street cameras). The robber had enough time to try entering the first broken window, but break another to fit through. Then, he shattered every showcase in the first half of the store, snatched the expensive merchandise, and stuffed all of it into his sacks. He didn't hurry. Then, he left the scene of the crime, and walked away. The police didn't arrive for several more minutes!
That occurred in the early 2000s, way before the pandemic caused massive looting in NYC. It's indicative of the laxity and unsupervised failures of the overpaid NYPD. The huge quantity of bars on residential windows and doorways--making homes into cages--indicates the failures of police.
Please use this link to read about another famous indications:
https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2021/02/another-sign-of-stupidity-in-this-city.html
During the COVID lockdown, Lewis' ultra-luxury boutique in SoHo was robbed 10 times. You can see videos of it online. (NYC's authorities, realtors, developers, and promoters worked to remove many of those telltale videos... instead of trying to stop the crimes). After lives resumed some normalcy, and people returned to work, robberies continued to increase. You might expect the police to heavily patrol SoHo, since it suffered the worst during the pandemic looting. But they don't. Occasionally, they leave a police car parked on a corner with its lights flashing--to give the impression of a presence--but nobody is in the car. (Notoriously having the most overweight cops, the NYPD was probably "resting" in a nearby Dunkin' Donuts, instead of sitting in their cars). Lewis' store was robbed repeatedly! Each was done during midday with plenty of sunlight to help street-cams identify their getaway, yet police never exerted themselves to track the getaway cars or escape routes. As usual, those terrifying crimes weren't broadcast by the local media, and the police failed to add foot patrols or vehicular patrols. (In fact, Lewis and I can't remember the last time we saw police walking through any area to patrol it. We witnessed that normal strategy in Beijing, Shanghai, Madrid, Paris, London, Windsor, Amsterdam, New Delhi, Agra, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Kyoto, and Puerto Plata... but never in New York City).
Eventually, the crooks were emboldened and a robbery occurred with guns, where they pushed over the retired-cop "security guard" who remained on the floor. Customers (paying $10,000 for dresses and handbags) filmed the despicable crime and posted it on social media. You can still find images and videos online. The store's alarm dutifully alerted the nearest police, who failed to arrive until the robbery was concluded. Within an hour, the graphic videos went viral (just like the mass looting), so the police felt compelled to dispatch several Crime Investigation Units... who looked imperious during the inevitable media interviews. Nonetheless, there was never a serious police presence, and rich shoppers and tourists were therefore hesitant to visit SoHo. It begged the question of global retailers: why overpay for rent, taxes, and construction contractors in NYC when the city fails to protect your property?
One month later, one of Lewis' customers walked to the store to return merchandise at 2pm. While on SoHo's illustrious Prince Street, she was mugged by hoodlums who tried to steal her shopping bag. Defiantly, she clutched her $7,000 item, but the men dragged her down the street. She scraped her elbows and legs on the pavement but retained her possessions. Since there were no police in sight, the robbers were only repelled by New Yorkers who were fed up with lawlessness. The terrified customer arrived at Lewis' boutique; she was bleeding in several places and her clothes were dirtied and ripped in two places. Nobody could believe that such a terrible thing happened in that area. Why do bandits exist in America's wealthiest city without punishment? It's like a third-world country.
As you might anticipate, public outcry was uproarious against the effete police department. If a faux effort to seem concerned about racial injustice, the NYPD installed a black woman as a high-ranking official... but a figurehead. It was similar to how prejudiced American TV networks allow only one character to convey multiple "minority qualities". But the NYPD invested more effort to block a loss of funding. No, they did not do their jobs better. Instead, the next election for mayor ended with a former policeman becoming the Mayor of New York City. Eric Adams is notoriously cozy with the NYPD, the Sergeant's Benevolent Association, the Detective's Endowment Association, and the almighty Policeman's Union. While online news articles overwhelm us with tales of shoplifting being unpunished on a huge scale, the new mayor already vowed to increase the size of the police force... while its current members don't stop crime. Overtaxed residents anticipate another pay increase for the overpaid police.
