On April 24th the NYPD will conduct a test for any lieutenants wishing to become captains. However, apparently only 537—about 30%—of the departments lieutenants have signed up for the exam. The Post reports that many cops say they can earn as much money as a lieutenant in their current position, and don't have to deal with the added pressure of the higher ranking job. Former cop Gene O'Donnell believes this doesn't bode well for morale in the organization. "The middle level is not inclined to take a test to rise in the organization, and that's an indicator that they plan not to make policing a career and will leave."
Though many officers were clearly motivated enough to take the exams that got them to the lieutenant level, they feel the pressure of facing crime spike statistics isn't worth any extra benefits. "It's the least-appreciated rank in the NYPD," said one lieutenant. "As a captain, you're at work at your command 24-7, and when you go to Compstat, they make you feel that you haven't done a thing, that you haven't accomplished anything." Also, veteran lieutenants would actually make less as a new captain than they do in their current positions; lieutenants of three years make $108,244 while new captains make $106,304 and can't earn overtime. Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association, calls the lack of possible new captains "very troubling."
