How many police officers does Syracuse need? Mayoral candidates answer

Police sworn in June 2021

41 new Syracuse police recruits were sworn in at Onondaga Community College on Friday, June 25, 2021. (Courtesy of City of Syracuse)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Does Syracuse have too many police officers, or not enough?

Activists last year flooded the streets of Syracuse, many arguing to cut the department’s budget and reduce the number of police officers. Advocates for the police officers’ union, however, say there aren’t enough officers to properly patrol the city.

Currently, there are around 400 officers on the force, including a class of 41 new recruits sworn in on June 25. Those recruits will spend about nine months in training before they’re able to respond to calls on their own.

During the pandemic last year, Mayor Ben Walsh canceled a planned class of new cops and decided to leave 25 positions unfilled. Those moves were part of citywide budget cuts aimed amid the economic shutdown. Walsh kept hundreds of positions vacant across city departments and furloughed more than 1,400 employees.

The department has also seen a spate of retirements in the last two years. Police officials have said those retirements make it hard to keep numbers up.

Walsh also reached an agreement with the police union over a new contract this year, which guarantees residency for new officers along with big pay raises and bonuses for long-serving cops, ranking officers and those with special skills. The Common Council has frequently criticized that deal as giving away too much in return for too little.

Last week, asked each of Syracuse’s mayoral candidates to answer this question:

The Syracuse police union has a new contract agreement with the city, but that agreement was out of date the day it was signed. The next mayor will need to, again, negotiate a deal with cops. Much has been made of staffing levels within the department in recent years, and whether this city has too many officers or not enough. What is a realistic goal for staffing numbers in the department within the next four years, and why? How do you plan to achieve that goal?

There are three candidates seeking the mayor’s office this year: Democrat Khalid Bey, Republican Janet Burman and independent Ben Walsh, who is seeking a second term.

Each candidate’s response is listed below, in reverse alphabetical order.

Each week until the election, we’ll ask the candidates a new question. If you have a topic you’d like to see us ask about, please email reporter Chris Baker at with the subject line “weekly question.”

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Ben Walsh (I)

Since becoming mayor, I have authorized four police academy classes, and a fifth is budgeted for 2022. Given the policing challenges across the nation, it is unthinkable where our city would be without those decisions.

Today, with our current recruit class, we have about 405 officers. The department budget currently authorizes 423 officers. I believe that’s close to the right number, but we’ll continue to evaluate.

Even before I hired Chief [Kenton] Buckner, I was working on improving police-community relations and enhancing accountability. When calls for police reform grew last year, Syracuse had already built a solid foundation of progress. We accelerated our progress with community input and submitted a plan to the state that was unanimously approved by our Common Council.

The contract we reached with the police union has provisions that are directly related to what officers and the community sought. It encourages experienced officers to stay on the force to prevent attrition and rewards officers who are veterans, college graduates or speak other languages. It also establishes the city first residency requirement for new officers.

Importantly, crime is down in Syracuse. Compared to the three years before I became mayor, overall crime has declined six percent. In the past year, that number is down 15%. And during 2021, shootings with injuries are down 30% in our city, despite a statewide increase.

Police staffing is key factor, but as the past three years have shown, it is not the only way we can improve policing and make Syracuse safer.

Janet Burman (R)

Ranks of the Syracuse Police Department are dropping at a precipitous rate from retirements and transfers out. This is despite the incentives provided by the recently ratified contract for 2018 and 2019.

The available number of patrol officers is insufficient to provide adequate coverage. With few exceptions, policing has become reactive. Timely dispatch is available for only the most violent situations. We are on the verge of a crisis in public safety.

This crisis can be averted and we can create a department with a successful approach to community policing. I will:

  1. Add 100 patrol officers over the next 3 years, bringing the total PD to approximately 500.
  2. Use cannabis sales tax revenue to pay increased personnel costs.
  3. Hire a police chief, preferably from within the department, who embraces the idea of assigning patrol officers to serve the same neighborhoods consistently.
  4. Investigate the allegations of racism within the police department and resolve Brandon Hanks’ lawsuit as soon as possible.
  5. Change the narrative that city leaders do not value the work of police by regularly attending roll calls and by immediately undertaking negotiations on the police contract.
  6. Solicit feedback from patrol officers as to which aspects of the recently enacted reforms are confusing or difficult to work with and their suggested improvements.
  7. Provide more opportunities for positive interactions between the police and the community, e.g. the Police Athletic League.

I believe that Syracuse can become a model for public safety in the 21st century.

Khalid Bey (D)

The current mayor agreed to an irresponsible and unsustainable police contract that the legislature has not approved because the city cannot afford it. The mayor created a situation where the city will need to downsize the force, which in our current state of rising violent crime and gun violence is simply unacceptable. Even with tax increases, under his agreement, the city will not be able to afford to staff the department at capacity, or give our officers raises over time. Syracuse will be forced to reconfigure the average officer work day in an effort to reduce overtime and pension costs, making us all less safe. The contract is not sustainable.

As mayor, I will develop a comprehensive community policing program that makes our city safer by addressing the scourge of violent crime. My administration will work with the police department to build relationships with local businesses and families and prioritize the recruitment of officers from within Syracuse. The police contract has to be renegotiated, but at a rate the city can afford, and not by hiring more officers, only to fire them in a few years. We also need to address the root causes of crime, so I will expand mentoring and employment training programs for our young people. However, a comprehensive policing plan is incomplete without a robust violence interruption program. These community-led initiatives have proven results. We must utilize all options to prevent violence before it starts and to keep our families safe.

Previous questions: