Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams launched a “pre-emptive strike” against Zohran Mamdani Friday as he unveiled plans to boost the NYPD’s staffing to its highest level in 20 years – putting pressure on the anti-cop socialist in the mayoral race’s last days.

Adams seemed to be pushing the front-runner for City Hall into a corner with his splashy budget proposal – first reported by The Post – that would swell the police department to 40,000 uniformed officers by 2029.

But Mamdani wouldn’t budge, doubling down on his intention to keep the NYPD’s headcount at its current depleted level of 34,000.

“It’s not a question of headcount. It’s a question of safety,” he insisted when asked about Adams’ plan, which would need the approval of future administrations.

“Eric Adams cannot actually hire enough officers that he actually has the money to do so,” he said during a campaign event practicing tai chi with seniors on the Lower East Side.

A major investment in the NYPD that will increase the number of uniformed officers by 5,000, Mayor Eric Adams will announce. Matthew McDermott

Hizzoner’s announcement came just days ahead of the closely watched Nov. 4 election in which Mamdani, the socialist Democratic nominee, is widely expected to defeat the ex-governor, running as an independent, and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa.

The NYPD’s future has been a major issue in the contest, with Cuomo and Sliwa both arguing that Mamdani’s policies would handcuff the nation’s largest police force, rolling back its recent successes in bringing down crime.

Adams wants to increase the number of NYPD officers to 40,000. Tam Nguyen / NYPost Design

The Queens assemblyman ran on a “defund the police” platform in 2020, calling for cuts to the NYPD and firing off posts on social media using the hashtag.

All three candidates agree, however, that the NYPD is having a crisis in recruiting and retaining cops.

The NYPD’s ranks have been stuck below 34,000 cops for the entirety of Adams’ first and only term, despite the department being budgeted for 35,000 officers.

Adams’ lame duck proposal, cribbing Cuomo’s own campaign promise to add 5,000 more officers, would essentially throw more money into the NYPD in hopes the recruits will follow. 

He called to funnel $17.8 million into the department in the upcoming fiscal year, before increasing the investment to $315.8 million by 2029.

The funding would support the phased-in hiring of 5,000 more officers by July 2028, City Hall officials said.

“Now, New York City will be on a path to reach 40,000 police officers in the next three years — the highest number of police officers in 20 years,” Adams said in a statement.

The NYPD hasn’t had that high a headcount since 2000.

“Eric Adams invested in his legacy as a law-and-order mayor and launched a pre-emptive strike against a Mayor Mamdani defunding the police,” said Ken Frydman, a Democratic political operative and longtime police union advisor.

But the plan still would require approval next summer by a progressive Democrat-led City Council that’s unlikely to give Adams a parting gift, or antagonize likely incoming mayor Mamdani.

“You think the City Council will support more police?” said former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, who has advised NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch not to accept staying on under a Mamdani mayoralty.

Adams’ proposal would essentially pour more money into the NYPD in hopes that the recruits will follow.  Andrew Schwartz / SplashNews.com

Mamdani, who has backed off his past “defund the police” stance as he runs for mayor, has insisted he will not cut the NYPD’s budget, if elected. He wants to spend $1.1 billion on a new Department of Community Safety focused on taking mental health calls instead of cops — which law enforcement experts have panned as a pie-in-the-sky idea.

He also pledged to ask well-respected Tisch to stay on as his cop boss, despite their differing public safety stances.

Tisch, who has not publicly accepted the job offer, praised Adams’ plan to add more cops.

“Every new officer means safer streets, stronger communities, and a thriving city,” she said. “This commitment allows us to keep recruiting, training, and deploying the next generation of women and men to build on our success. Thank you, Mayor Adams, for keeping public safety at the forefront of his administration’s work.”

Mamdani has tried to back off his prior calls to defund the police. zohrankmamdani/Instagram

Mamdani, when asked about Tisch’s statement, stammered in his response: “I continue to have made my decision to retain police commissioner Tisch.”

He pointed out Adams has been unable to hit the budgeted goal of 35,000 officers, so it’s unlikely 40,000 is in the cards.

Mamdani insisted he was going to deliver on keeping New Yorkers safe “in retaining Commissioner Tisch, in creating a Department of Community Safety, and finally, ensuring that we live up to the words that Eric Adams has himself said four years ago: that New Yorkers need not choose between safety and justice.”

But experts said more cops on the streets does result in a boost in public safety, or at least, in the perception of it.

Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani visited a Lower East Side community center where he spoke, danced with seniors, and joined them in a tai chi session on Friday, October 31, 2025 James Keivom

“More cops is going to help with the perception of public safety. Not everything can be solved with more cops but it’s about perception. The public likes to see cops out on the street,” said John Jay Criminal Justice Professor Maria Haberfeld.

“Major will crimes will continue to happen, but more cops will help with quality of life because you will have time to address homelessness and other minor violations, quality of life issues.”

Still, she noted the quality of the recruits is as important as quantity: “It’s not just numbers, you need to get good ones.”

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Cuomo, whose mayoral run recently received Adams’ endorsement, has called to add 5,000 more cops, take steps to reduce attrition by boosting morale and offer sign-on bonuses and better pay to boost recruitment.

Neither Adams nor Mamdani, however, have put forward fixes to the problem of droves of officers retiring with a dwindling number of new recruits applying to be cops.

“Eric Adams cannot actually hire enough officers that he actually has the money to do so,” he said during a campaign event practicing tai chi with seniors on the Lower East Side. James Keivom

The NYPD so far has lost 2,800 officers to attrition this year, largely offsetting 2,900 recruits recently brought on during the summer. 

Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association union, argued that Adams’ plan sounds good, but cops need incentives to stay as well.

“Saying numbers is one thing, keeping police officers on the job is another thing,” he said. 

“It comes with salary, benefits, better quality of life for our police officers.”

The NYPD so far has lost 2,800 officers to attrition this year, largely offsetting 2,900 recruits recently brought on during the summer, according to reports. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post

— Additional reporting by Carl Campanile and Patrick Reilly