Policing in New York
NYPD blues
纽约警察
Apr 3rd 2008 | NEW YORK
From The Economist print edition
Translation veronica_liu126
The thin blue line is getting thinner
囊中羞涩，纽约警察人数持续减少
“BEING a cop was a great job in the late '80s. It paid well. Now, I would never encourage people to do it,” confides a veteran New York police officer. For the past couple of years the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been having trouble attracting recruits, largely because of the paltry $25,100 starting salary decreed by a state arbitrator in 2005. Previously, annual pay had started at $40,000. It took a little while for NYPD to feel the impact as it had a big pool to draw from, but now recruitment is drying up.
“当警察在80年代末期确实是一份绝佳的差事，薪资十分丰厚。但是现在，我不会鼓励任何人去当警察”，一位资深的纽约警官坦言道。在过去的两三年中，纽约警察局（简称NYPD）在招募新成员上存在着一些问题，其中大部分原因归咎于2005年时，州仲裁员决定将起薪削减到每年微不足道的25100美金。早前，当警察的年薪为40000美金起。由于体制庞大，纽约警察局将在不久之后才能感觉到其冲击力，而现在招募新丁已经无人问津。
The department cannot even hold on to the recruits it does manage to find. Since the salary cut, the numbers graduating from its police academy have steadily fallen. Of the 1,968 hired in July 2005, 1,736 graduated, but only 914 graduated out of the 1,142 hired last summer. The NYPD blames a combination of tougher academic standards and reduced pay.
当局甚至不能保证已经招募的新人能否真正安定下来。自从减薪以来，每年从警察学院毕业的人数持续下降。例如，2005年7月招募的1968人中，有1736人毕业；而上个夏天招募的1142人中，只有914人毕业。纽约警察局将这种现象归咎于严厉的学院标准和降低的薪资水平。
The NYPD has shrunk by 5,000 from a high of 41,000 in 2001. The good news is that crime continues to fall; the bad news is that this may not be sustainable. Crime is down 25% since 2001 and 75% since 1993. Operation Impact, which floods troubled areas with police, has been credited with the continuing improvement. When two-thirds of recent police academy graduates were sent out to a dozen or so notorious zones, crime went down by about 30% there. But without a steady supply of new recruits, Operation Impact could be in serious danger. Ray Kelly, the police commissioner, has assigned all rookies to the operation to ensure that the flooding strategy continues.
相对于2001年时拥有41000个雇员的高峰期，纽约警察局的人手已经缩减了5000人次。好消息是犯罪率持续下降；坏消息是这种好景恐怕不长了。犯罪率自2001年来下降了百分之二十五，而从1993年算起的话，整整下降了百分之七十五。警察局长雷蒙德·凯利坦言，运作危机可能到来，他已将所有新成员编入体制以确保水浸策略的实施。
The most experienced officers, too, are leaving the force. Huge numbers were hired in the late 1980s. They can retire after 20 years on half-pay, and most do; about 3,000 leave each year. Around 40% of today's force has been hired since Michael Bloomberg became mayor in 2002. Eugene O'Donnell, a former cop and a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says the NYPD is demoralised and is on the verge of
terminal decline.
甚至一些经验丰富的老警察也选择离开队伍。在80年代后期，警察局雇用了一大帮人。这些人可以在20年后退休并领取相当于一半工资的退休金。他们中的大部人选择了退休。每年有将近30001人退休。现在雇员中的百分之四十是在2002年进入警察局的，同时也是迈克·彭博当选为纽约市市长的时候。尤金·奥·唐纳以前是一名警察，并且在约翰杰刑事司法大学兼任教授，他认为纽约警察现在士气低落，已经处于衰退边缘。
Mr Bloomberg's recent calls to cut a further 1,000 officers could result in the smallest police force for 16 years. The NYPD points out that it would have been unable to fill those jobs anyway. But the police union fears that cuts may strain the force to breaking point. Paul Browne, the deputy police commissioner, says the NYPD “is keeping all the balls in the air”, but conceded it cannot continue indefinitely. An arbitrator is expected to come up with a new salary limit later this month.
彭博市长最近号召再下岗1000名警员，组成16年来人数最少的警察团队。纽约警察局指出，这样做将导致一些职位永远空缺。警察工会也认为裁员可能增加紧张气氛，导致突破爆发点。副局长保罗·布朗认为纽约警察局已经使出浑身解数，但是必须承认这种情况维持不了多久。人们期望在这个月末，州仲裁员会制定一个新的薪资标准。
But it's not just about the money. Greg Ridgeway of RAND, a think-tank, points out that Los Angeles, San Diego and Pittsburgh pay their cops double the New York rate but are also having recruiting problems; the value of the NYPD brand, he adds, should not be underestimated. Using it, the force is recruiting at military bases and college campuses all over the country. But a bit more cash would help.
但这并不单纯只是钱的问题。来自兰德智囊团的葛雷格·里奇伟指出，洛杉矶、圣地亚哥和匹兹堡的警察薪酬是纽约的两倍，但同样遭遇了纳新问题。他补充说道，不要低估纽约警察这个称号本身的价值。利用它去全国各地的军事基地和大学中招募新人。当然，如果报酬再高一点的话将会更有吸引力。
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