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How the New York Police Department ended up with the largest police budget in the US
How the New York Police Department ended up with the largest police budget in the US
In 2017, more than $10 billion was allocated to running the NYPD and other related issues — even though the budget for that year was around $5.2 billion. Here’s how that money was spent.
The NYPD’s budget is typically 92% to 95% funded by New York City taxpayers. In 2017, the biggest chunk of the budget, $4.76 billion, went to personal services.
NYPD officers are some of the highest-paid cops in the country. On average, each of the 36,000+ officers costs the city over $100,000 a year. 
Despite an increase in headcount meant to lower overtime, overtime has continued to increase each year. In 2017, $538 million from the budget was used for overtime.
An additional $4.8 billion on top of the original budget includes debt payments, health insurance known as fringe benefits, and the police pension.
In 2017, a total of about $335.5 million was paid out to settle past claims against NYPD. These settlements are actually paid through the NYC budget.
With an increasing budget year after year, many are calling for part of those funds to be redirected into social services such as education and public health.
If the NYPD were to reallocate funds, here are some examples of how much the police budget can buy in other services.
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