Police Commissioner Ray Kelly surprised the City Council with the news that there would be no 2010 police academy class.
"Our counterterrorism efforts have not been impacted so far, but obviously they are going to be strained as the overall head count of the department decreases," Kelly told the City Council on Tuesday, reported NY1.
Anyone listening to Mayor Bloomberg's recent budget address knew the cuts were coming, but Kelly caught city pols off guard during a hearing on anti-terrorism efforts by casually mentioning that he was allowing the police department to shrink to 34,771. That's a reduction of more than 15 percent since the 2001 high of 41,000.
"Allowing crime to return to our streets because of short sighted budget balancing will strike at the core of what makes New York City the most desirable place to live, work and visit," responded Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch in a statement following the hearing.
Some on the City Council have expressed hope that federal funds from President Obama's stimulus package may help lessen the cuts.
