'Unlawfully' hired NYPD officers can keep jobs for another 60 days

Temporary restraining order extended: NYPD officers can stay another 60 days

30 NYPD officers that were "unlawfully" hired will be allowed to keep their jobs for another 60 days. FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt has the details.

NEW YORK - 30 NYPD officers that were "unlawfully" hired will be allowed to keep their jobs for another 60 days.

‘Unlawfully’ hired officers can stay… for now

What we know:

The NYPD is attempting to force 30 officers and recruits to resign after an internal investigation revealed that they were not qualified to join the force – originally 31, one officer has already resigned.

The officers' union, the Police Benevolent Association of New York City, won a temporary restraining order on July 10 to prevent that from happening. The president of the association, Patrick Hendry, released a statement saying, "We're grateful for the pause in these unjust firings, but this is only the first step. These police officers did nothing wrong."

What's next:

A judge extended that restraining order earlier today, FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt reports. The next proceeding is in 60 days, when the newly instated temporary restraining order ends.

Hendry told Schmidt earlier today, "We're grateful to the judge for taking this case serious… [these officers] were just told, ‘You’re not entitled to any process here. You're fired. 24 hours.' That is wrong. The whole method of how it was done is wrong."

The affected officers will be assigned to administrative work in the meantime, and have been stripped of their guns and badges.

Officers not qualified to join the force

The backstory:

Some of the officers in question have histories of drug use, arrests and the hiring of prostitutes prior to joining the force.

The NYPD confirmed that these rookies lied on their exams and applications about these past issues, including previous employment.

NYPD admits dozens of rookie cops were hired despite disqualifying offenses

Apparently "the department was not legally allowed to hire these individuals and was forced to inform them that they could no longer continue as members of the NYPD." FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovis has the details.

Despite this, the unqualified officers were allowed to join the force due to the actions of a former commanding officer who had screened the aforementioned officers. The officers, hired between 2023 and 2024, were taken on under former Inspector Terrell Anderson.

However, these recruits received final notices of disqualification during their application process – these notices legally prevent them from joining the force. 

The Police Benevolent Association countered in a statement, "As far as [these officers] know, they were qualified to be New York City police officers, because the NYPD hired and trained them."

Anderson, the former head of the NYPD's candidate assessment division, has been removed and is currently under investigation.