The City Council of New York slashed $1 billion from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget due to the pressure it faced from thousands of protesters.
However, city lawmakers and demonstrators expressed their concerns that the cuts weren't sweeping enough.
The $88.9 billion 2021 budget was approved late Tuesday night as hundreds of protesters, many of whom have waited and camped outside City Hall for a week, gathered to hear the verdict.
The NYPD's budget was estimated at almost $6 billion for the 2020 fiscal year. The department appears to be the largest force in the U.S. and employs more than 55,000 people.
According to the City Council, the new budget approved Tuesday includes nearly $484 million in cuts and will transfer $354 million to other agencies "best positioned to carry out the duties that have been previously assigned to the New York Police Department, like the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Hygiene and the Department of Homeless Services."
"Another $162 million was slashed through associated cost," the council said in a statement.
It also moves almost $500 million to other "badly needed infrastructure."
"This was a hard-fought battle, which marks the beginning of the Council's efforts to not only limit the size and scope of the NYPD, but also reimagine how we structure criminal justice and public safety in the city," the city council said.
