In addition to the uniformed officers, there are about 15,000 civilian employees. That’s an army of people whose entire job is to process the paperwork the other cops generate. It’s a perpetual motion machine of bureaucracy.
They have a Counterterrorism Bureau with snipers on rooftops. They have a Transit Bureau that lives on the subway. You know that guy sleeping on the train? He’s probably being watched by twelve undercover cops who are pretending to argue about politics.
The NYPD even has a School Safety Division. They have more officers in New York City schools than the entire police force of Detroit. That means a kid throwing a paper airplane gets a more aggressive response than a car thief in another state.
The Final, Honest Statistic
Here’s the kicker: despite having more cops per capita than almost any major city in the U.S., they still can’t find a guy who steals a catalytic converter in Brooklyn. Why? Because he’s probably hiding behind one of the 50,000 cops.
So next time you see a cop eating a slice of pizza while leaning on a parked car, remember: that’s not just one person. That’s a member of the third-largest police force in the world. He’s outnumbered only by the pigeons and the people trying to hail a cab.
And if you ever feel lonely in New York, just remember: there are 50,000 people who are paid to watch you. It’s not creepy. It’s a service.
