Nassau proposes $10M more in police overtime costs in next year's budget

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's 2026 budget proposal increases spending on police overtime to $60 million — up $10 million from this year — even as prior years have shown the extra police work costs millions more.

Police overtime for this year is already on track to exceed $68 million, $18 million more than the $50 million budgeted in the county's 2025 adopted budget, according to an analysis released this week by the county's Office of Legislative Budget Review, suggesting Blakeman might be budgeting too little for the extra hours police will work next year. 

The department tends to spend more than anticipated — $80 million in 2024 and $73 million in 2023, according to budget documents. It's unclear why Blakeman boosted the police overtime budget by $10 million for next year, but generally, staffing that doesn't keep up with retirements as well as unexpected security threats and large-scale events tend to drive up the number of hours police officers need to work. 

The department has more than 200 vacancies to fill and expects an additional 150 officers to leave in 2026, according to officials in a legislative budget hearing on Monday.

Blakeman, a Republican running for a second, four-year term next month, has touted his administration's record on public safety over his Democratic opponent, Seth Koslow, a legislator from Merrick. Democrats have asked for a more realistic projection of police overtime spending, pointing out police academy cadets graduate next month and in the spring likely won't be "on the street" in time to help fill the vacancies in 2026. 

"To have police overtime exceed the amount [budgeted] isn't the right message," Minority Leader Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said earlier this week. 

Nassau's legislature, where Republicans hold a majority, is expected to vote on Blakeman's $4.4 billion budget at the end of this month. At $1.2 billion, police spending makes up more than a quarter of the county's overall operating budget.

"We've had about 100 retirements to date, it's hard to predict the number of retirements," said Kevin Smith, Nassau's first deputy police commissioner, in a legislative budget hearing in Mineola earlier this week. He said the department will onboard 100 recruits at the end of the month and another 100 in six months but also noted a possible county employee buyout might accelerate retirements. 

"If there's a need to fill officers' vacancies with overtime, it will be done as efficiently as possible," Smith told legislators.

Overall, Blakeman's 2026 police budget is $89 million more than last year, an 8% increase. Blakeman looks to spend $36.5 million more on police salaries and $34.2 million more on "fringe benefits," which include health care, pension and other forms of compensation beyond salary. The proposed budget factors in health costs will rise by 6%, according to the OLBR report.

"A budget is a forecast and estimate as to what resources are to be allocated and during the course of the year resources may be shifted based on need," Blakeman said in an emailed statement to Newsday when asked why his budget doesn't allocate more for police overtime. "The bottom line is our budget forecasting has resulted in seven bond upgrades and therefore we are confident that our budget will handle any contingencies."

According to the budget review analysis, Blakeman's spending plan includes transferring about $75 million into the police department from other areas of the county, including sales tax revenue from the general fund. 

Sales tax collections, which has dipped slightly, makes up more than 35% of total revenue to the county.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.