On Saturday, NYPD detectives, working overtime as part of a crime-fighting initiative, managed to halt a dangerous assailant wielding a machete at Grand Central Terminal. This swift action prevented further harm to the three victims targeted in the attack.
However, insiders have voiced concerns that ongoing department-wide overtime reductions are affecting the availability of additional shifts in the subway system. Despite these claims, the NYPD maintains a different stance. “The NYPD authorizes 5,000 hours of overtime daily within the subway system,” a spokesperson stated. “This practice has been in place since January 2025 and has not been reduced by even a single hour since then.”
A seasoned police officer shared with The Post that overtime across the department has been gradually trimmed over the past year and a half. “Many subway stations are operating with minimal staffing due to a specific overtime cap that officials are wary of exceeding,” the officer explained. “Exceeding this cap could result in repercussions for the commanding officer.”
The trend of curtailing overtime began under former Mayor Eric Adams, who saw a $1.1 billion reduction in the previous fiscal year compared to fiscal 2024. The situation has intensified under the current administration of Mayor Mamdani, known for his lenient approach to crime and his campaign promise to eliminate the NYPD’s overtime budget.
As reported by The Post, new regulations that came into effect on January 1 have drastically cut the permissible overtime hours for police officers, reducing their allowance by half. Detectives are now restricted to a maximum of 40 hours of overtime per month.
New rules that went into effect on Jan. 1 slashed the number of overtime hours cops can work in half, The Post has reported. And detectives are now limited to 40 hours of total OT a month.
As for extra transit details, sources told The Post that detectives are now limited to âno more than two transit details” a month. They used to be able to work four to six OT shifts underground.
The Mayorâs Office did not return messages.
