State lawmakers consider five-borough residency rule for new NYPD officers
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New NYPD officers attend Police Academy graduation in 2014. Lawmakers have sponsored a bill to force all new officers to live in New York City. Diana Robinson/Mayoral Photography Office
By David Brand
A pair of state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would force new NYPD officers to live in the city they police.
The measure, sponsored by Queens Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and Brooklyn State Sen. Kevin Parker, would establish a residency requirement for all NYPD officers hired after Dec. 31. The rookie cops would have one year to move into New York City after they graduate from the Police Academy and start their careers, according to the text of the bill.
Cruz said the residency requirement would make police more invested in the communities they serve.
“When you have a police officer who, at the end of the work day, is able to clock out and tune out and not have to think about the consequences of not just their own actions, but the force … they don’t feel invested,” she said of cops who live outside the five boroughs.
Under present residency requirements, NYPD officers can live in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, Westchester, Putnam or Orange counties. About 51 percent of NYPD officers live in those suburban counties, Gothamist reported.
In contrast, about 94 percent of the NYPDs civilian workforce — personnel required to live in New York City — reside within the five boroughs, Streetsblog reported Aug. 12.
Cruz said officers’ salaries, paid for by the city, are being invested in other towns. The bill would improve conditions citywide by “keeping New York City tax dollars in New York City,” she said.
Assemblymember Catalina Cruz has sponsored legislation mandating that all new NYPD officers live in New York City. File photo via Cruz campaign
The proposed measure is the latest effort by state lawmakers to foster police reform in New York City. In June, the Assembly and Senate returned to Albany to pass a package of accountability and reform measures, including the repeal of Section 50-a, the law that shielded personnel records from public view.
Parker, who announced the residency bill last month, said that out-of-town officers lack “cultural competencies” and undermine police-community relations.
“Right now we’re simply signing up to have an invading force police us in the city,” he said. “I think you’ll find a lot more cooperation even from an investigation perspective.”
Nevertheless, the measure would not apply to existing officers.
“We thought it was an easier route to go,” he said of the measure limiting the residency requirement to new cops.
“The notion of uprooting people who have been on the force for 20-30 years, 15 years, and telling them they have to move would have been different and unnecessary,” he said. “We’ll add enough police that over time we’ll get there.”
Parker characterized the legislation as the next phase in the gradual tightening of residency restrictions. Before the mandate that NYPD officers live in the five boroughs or six surrounding counties, they could live anywhere and commute to work.
The Police Benevolent Association, which represents rank and file cops, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
During a press briefing Aug. 12, Mayor Bill de Blasio declined to support a New York City residency requirement for NYPD officers, citing the cost of living.
“To be a police officer in the city is a very high calling and we are trying to find the very best talent from the city, from the surrounding area, and also a lot of people who want to, need to, in their view live, in a place where they can afford more, especially if they have a family,” he said.
Staff from other city agencies must live in New York City, despite the high cost of housing.
