NYPD headcount 2026: where the department stands and expected head count by year’s end

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD will add 580 police officers to its ranks in the coming months, according to an announcement Monday by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

The addition of new officers, which officials said will include a larger NYPD presence on Staten Island, is part of an influx expected to bring the budgeted headcount up to 35,555 by the end of 2026, Tisch explained.

“And so that is something to be celebrated and that is something that we appreciate deeply, especially in a time of general need to cut (the budget),” said the police commissioner.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s FY 27 executive budget called for a uniform budgeted headcount of 35,370.

Last year was the NYPD’s most aggressive year on record for hiring, during which the department brought on 4,056 new officers, Tisch said. As of December 2025, the NYPD headcount reached more than 34,700, which was the highest since May 2022, according to the department.

“The number of police officers we have is directly related to our progress driving down shooting incidents and shooting victims in this city,” Tisch added.

“Shootings are one crime that you can really deploy for. We know where the vast majority of shootings in New York City occur, we know what times of day they occur at and so our plan, the reason we have been able to drive down shootings so far — is we deploy officers in those neighborhoods, on those streets, at those times, and that plan has worked with tremendous, historic success.”

Most of the officers patrolling those “zones” were hired last year, Tisch explained.

Borough President Vito Fossella and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon issued a joint statement Tuesday applauding the decision to recruit more officers.

“We are very encouraged to hear that the City will be hiring new police officers this year,” they said. “After years of advocacy, we met with NYPD Commissioner Tisch and expressed our wishes to see more cops assigned to Staten Island. The Police Commissioner was very responsive to our concerns, and we are grateful that she has followed through. These new recruits will be a big help across the City.”

Beyond the citywide increase, Staten Island will also receive additional officers this summer, according to the statement.

“As a result of our positive, ongoing dialogue, we are also pleased that additional police officers will be allocated to our Borough Command this summer, which will help our great and dedicated police department and Borough Commander (Melissa) Eger continue to keep Staten Island the safest community of its size in the country,” Fossella and McMahon’s statement continued. “We thank Commissioner Tisch, as always, for being a terrific partner for public safety, and for her efforts to increase the number of police officers on Staten Island. A stronger Police Department makes for a stronger and safer Staten Island and New York City.”

The exact number of additional officers being deployed to Staten Island this summer was not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Mamdani was criticized by Staten Island officials for scrapping plans to hire an additional 5,000 NYPD officers. The dismissed plan, introduced by former mayor Eric Adams in October 2025, called for boosting the NYPD to 40,000 uniformed officers by FY 2029, the highest headcount in two decades.