I heard this a lot when I was researching my book. Apparently, they are also not being replaced. “The number of detectives has dropped from 7,182 in January 2001 to 5,200 this month, a 28% decline, according to numbers provided by the Detectives’ Endowment Association,” and reported today in a Daily News piece by Alison Gendar called Fading Shields. [The link to article is now broken.]

I know why people are retiring, but I’m not sure what the issue is with replacement. Not enough people with experience or talent enough to be promoted? That can’t be right though, can it? It must be a financial issue. Has to be.

According to the piece, the “Bronx 46 squad in University Heights had 38 detectives in 2001, 18 now,” and “Brooklyn’s 67 squad had 35 detectives on the books before Sept. 11. It has 27 today.” I’d be curious to know how many are manning the 44 in the Bronx and the 75 in Brooklyn. Those were the precincts with the highest numbers of unsolved murders when my book went to press. The precinct with the third highest number of unsolved murders was the 34 in Manhattan.