In September 2004, an arbitrator ordered NYPD to do just that: assign clerical and administrative duties to civilians. Once the decision is implemented, this will free full-duty uniformed police officers to be reassigned to street duty doing enforcement work.

The city has yet to act on this order - costing taxpayers money. Our city could be safer, too, with more police officers on patrol.

• Civilians should be doing non-enforcement work. Civilian employees should be doing the clerical, administrative, professional and blue-collar jobs they were hired for. Able-bodied police officers should be assigned to the enforcement duties they are trained for.
  
  
• Civilianization could save over $127 million per year by getting able-bodied police officers (who average $60,000 to $70,000+ per year) off desk duty and assigning those clerical/administrative tasks to civilians (who average $25,000 to $30,000 per year). This would also reduce overtime costs.
  
  
• Civilianization will make our city safer by putting more than 3,500 able-bodied police officers, now doing clerical/administrative tasks, back on the streets for community policing, patrol and enforcement duties. Hundreds of police officers doing other civilian tasks (such as computer and information technology services; bookkeeping, accounting and payroll duties; application investigations; and barricade placement and removal) could also be reassigned to enforcement.
  
  

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