Mayor steamed by officers' need for food stamps

Officials including Mayor Michael Bloomberg are upset because recently lowered wages for city police officers have prompted some new recruits to apply for food stamps. It appears unlikely that any officers would actually qualify for food stamps.

Even as officials justifiably decry the low wages of police officers, over 1 million other New Yorkers--the majority of whom work long hours like these officers--receive food stamps. An estimated 500,000 to 700,000 New Yorkers qualify due to low wages but do not receive food stamps, often deterred by the difficulty of wrangling with bureaucratic red tape. (Photo courtesy tia.org.)