New York Police Chief Warns of NYPD Budget Cuts Under New Mayor

By Newsmax Wires | Saturday, 08 November 2025 01:22 PM EST
Former New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told Newsmax that New York City should prepare for a smaller police department. Kelly said the mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani plans to reduce the size of the NYPD significantly. “It looks like Mr. Mamdani is going to reduce the size of the NYPD significantly,” Kelly explained. He described Mamdani’s proposal for a new community safety agency, which would require a billion-dollar budget. “The only place where that money is, is in the NYPD budget. And New York City police, their budget, 95% of it is personnel. So if you’re going to take a large amount of money out of the NYPD budget, it’s got to be a reduction in headcount.” Kelly noted that Mamdani has not yet revealed the full scope of his plans but emphasized the threat to the department. “He has said this many times. He has said the NYPD is racist. It’s biased, and it creates crimes.” Kelly also highlighted concerns about Mamdani’s proposed transfer of disciplinary power from the police commissioner to a civilian review board. Several large police departments around the country have begun recruiting programs to attract current NYPD officers, anticipating potential departures due to Mamdani’s policies. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also launched a social media campaign targeting New York officers to encourage them to join federal agencies.