New York City – Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that New York City Mayor Eric Adams was “defunding safety” by increasing police wages for the New York Police Department.
During an interview on “The Daily Show,” the New York Democrat said that it was a mistake for Adams to increase police officer salaries instead of investing the money into public schools and violence prevention programs.
“We’re now at a point where officially, most officers are paid more than a teacher with a master’s degree serving the same kids, involved in the same [violent] incidents,” she argued.
“We are defunding safety. Defunding our public schools. Defunding our public pools. Defunding our parks. Defunding our libraries. When we are taking all of those resources and demanding every single department except the militarized ones be cut, we are sending a message about who and what we care about,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Fox News reported that the pay comparison by the congresswoman may not have been truthful. According to the New York City Department of Education, starting teachers’ salaries in the 2021-2022 school year ranged from $61,070 for a bachelors’ degree to $83,972 for a master’s degree with eight years prior teaching experience. New teachers with a graduate degree but no prior teaching experience earned $68,252.
Adams recently announced a tentative agreement with the city’s largest police union to increase rookie officer salaries to approximately $60,000 when including all differentials, holiday pay, and a uniform allowance.
