More than 300 NYPD cars have been damaged or destroyed during Black Lives Matter protests - and the damage bill could top $1MILLION
- 303 NYPD vehicles have been damaged since May 25, department officials claim
- More than a dozen police cruisers were destroyed by rioters who set them on fire
- Almost all other vehicles have been repaired and are back on the streets
- While a large majority of Black Lives Matter marches have been peaceful, rioters have attempted to co-opt some demonstrations by damaging police property
The New York Police Department says 303 of their vehicles have been vandalized since Black Lives Matter protests sparked up across the city two months ago in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Law enforcement sources told The Associated Press Tuesday that the damage bill could top a whopping $1 million.
According to police, 14 of the vehicles have been completely destroyed after they were set on fire by rioters.
The remaining NYPD vans and cruisers are all salvageable, and a vast majority of them are already back patrolling the streets.
The New York Police Department says 303 of their vehicles have been vandalized since Black Lives Matter protests sparked up across the city two months ago following the death of George Floyd. An NYPD van is seen going up in flames in Brooklyn in May
Protesters vandalize an NYPD van near Union Square in Manhattan on May 30
Only seven squad vehicles remain under repair.
Three of those cars were damaged on Saturday night, as cops clashed with protesters in Lower Manhattan.
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One man was seen on video using a protest sign to bash the window of a parked police van while another man sprayed graffiti onto an adjacent NYPD vehicle.
None of the vehicles were occupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
A protester kicks a police vehicle in an attempt to break its side mirror during a protest in Lower Manhattan this past Saturday evening
A squad car is seen set ablaze in Brooklyn on May 30. On that night, cops and rioters clashed, with a large number of arrests ensuing
While a large majority of Black Lives Matter marches have been peaceful, rioters have attempted to co-opt some demonstrations, damaging police property in the process.
The nation's largest police department likely isn't happy about splashing out seven figures on vehicle repairs given their budget was recently slashed by $1 billion.
The cut, which was announced at the beginning of the month, will cancel the recruitment of 1,163 new officers, strip $484million from the overtime budget and transfer $354million to other services - including handing control of school safety officers from the NYPD to the Department of Education.
Police union chiefs say the cuts will have a dangerous effect on officers' ability to keep the city safe.
Violent crime rates have surged in the city over the past two months.
Last week, shootings were up of 253 percent in comparison to last year. Among those hit by bullets was a one-year-old boy in a stroller who was killed.
For the month of June, murders were up 30 percent year-on-year, while robberies rose 118 percent.
An NYPD van is seen set on fire in Brooklyn on May 29
New York Police Department officers clash with demonstrators during a protest on Saturday night
