The MTA has found a way to gets its new subway cops trained at the NYPD academy after being booted late last year — by snagging new cops from the department.
As part of the transit agency’s push to bolster its police force by 500 officers, the MTA has lured away at least 140 from the NYPD — and plans to hire another batch of around 75 more cops in June or July, a police source told The Post.
The MTA’s new plan comes two months after it was shut out of the NYPD’s training academy, the source said.
The new transit officers, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, were hired this month.
Forty of those officers, who are all already fully trained cops, were sworn in Wednesday and will be assigned to the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and city subways.
That batch was expected to be made up of at least 150 officers from the NYPD and 10 or fewer from other agencies, according to the source, who said a handful of city officers have backed out.
“The pay is better … you get treated like a gentleman … Why wouldn’t you?” another police source told The Post.
A high-ranking police source described the gig as “more money, better hours” and more fulfilling.
The MTA, which is hoping to use a law enforcement academy on Long Island, will look to hire another group of 75 trained officers for lateral moves in June or July as they figure out where to train their new cops, according to the source.
A high-ranking police source described the gig as “more money, better hours” and more fulfilling.
The MTA, which is hoping to use a law enforcement academy on Long Island, will look to hire another group of 75 trained officers for lateral moves in June or July as they figure out where to train their new cops, according to the source.
“Until they resolve this training program, they can only poach people from other agencies,” a police source said.
An NYPD spokeswoman said the MTA cadets were shut out of the academy because it was at capacity.
In a statement, NYPD spokeswoman Devora Kaye said it was “no surprise” that the MTA would look to the “work-class” NYPD for hires.
“The MTA PD is committed to hiring the best and brightest and all eligible applicants are encouraged to apply,” MTA spokeswoman Abbey Collins said.
PBA President Patrick Lynch slammed the mayor’s administration for setting up a situation that would lead “the finest police department in the world to be used as a farm team for other law enforcement agencies.
“[Mayor de Blasio’s] only solution is to try to block those agencies from hiring. The Mayor could easily stop the exodus by paying cops a fair market wage and treating us like the professionals we are. He’s choosing not to do that,” Lynch said.
Additional reporting by David Meyer and Vincent Barone