New York Mayor Adams’ plan to expand safety academy in Queens faces opposition from rival.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ plan to establish a Public Safety Academy in Queens is facing fierce opposition. Seven mayoral candidates, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, have all stated that if elected, they will cancel the project.

Last year, Adams announced a $225 million investment to construct this academy, which aims to integrate training for all public safety agencies in the city into a new facility to enhance efficiency. However, critics argue that the current issues facing the police department are not due to a lack of training resources but rather recruitment and retention crises among police officers and correctional officers.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for former Governor Cuomo’s campaign, stated, “At this stage, this expenditure seems unnecessary because the issue lies not in training abilities but in recruitment and retention.”

Several mayoral challengers such as City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Senators Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, and City Councilmember Zohran Mamdani have publicly expressed their opposition. They advocate for reallocating the funds intended for the academy to improve existing police precinct facilities or invest in mental health and community safety initiatives.

Current City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams believes that the funds should be redirected to the original purpose of the Correctional Training Center planned by former Mayor Bill de Blasio instead of expanding it into a multi-agency safety academy.

Despite the opposition, the Adams administration continues to support the project, stating that the facility will facilitate interagency cooperation and enhance public safety. According to a city spokesperson, the academy may potentially be operational as early as 2030.