Three NYPD Cops on the 2025 Mayoral Race: 'I Like That Mamdani Is a Dreamer'

Under Mayor Eric Adams, illegal stop-and-frisks have soared, cops are doing more overtime than ever, and—perhaps relatedly—the attrition rate on the force has skyrocketed, causing a staffing crisis. 

These are some of the same issues that crop up frequently on NYPD Reddit. Cops are exhausted by the mountain of forced overtime, they're worried about an exodus from the force, and they're pissed off about senior leadership seemingly getting away with cronyism and corruption, while the lower ranks are punished for comparatively minor infractions.

So who's a cop to vote for? While some of the law enforcement unions warned against voting for Zohran Mamdani, the largest police union that represents the rank-and-file officers, the Police Benevolent Association, has not endorsed any of the candidates, perhaps not wanting to weigh in against the guy who is most likely going to be mayor next year.

Mamdani said in 2020 he supported defunding the police, but he's since abandoned that call, apologized, and, on the campaign trail, said he'd keep the NYPD's headcount where it is. He also wants to create a new Department of Community Safety that would shift police officers away from dealing with many mental health crisis calls, and expressed a desire to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in his administration.

Within the NYPD, some officers have tentative hope for a Mayor Mamdani—or at least the knowledge that things couldn't get much worse than they are now. Hell Gate spoke with three NYPD cops about what a Mamdani administration could mean for the department.

One was Carlos, who has worked for the department for about 10 years. He said his time on the job so far had been a slog, and he "felt bad" for people who didn't have other options. He still associates Mamdani with potentially defunding the police, but said if that did happen, he hopes it might slash some of the forced overtime. Another was Brian, who thought being a cop would be his "dream job" but now believes that "widespread favoritism, unequal treatment, and leadership failures" are making it difficult. And then there is Shamsul Haque, a lieutenant who retired earlier this year, who has endorsed Mamdani's campaign. 

Read what they told Hell Gate below, via email and phone conversations, about the state of the NYPD amid the 2025 New York City mayoral election. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity, and pseudonyms were used for Carlos and Brian, so they could speak freely without reprisal.