NYPD costs rise as Wall Street protests continue

By MEGHAN BARR

NEW YORK

The cost of constant police surveillance is growing as Wall Street protesters gear up for another week.

The New York Police Department has spent nearly $2 million, mostly in overtime pay, to patrol the lower Manhattan protest in recent weeks.

And with no end in sight, the price tag will continue to rise at a time when Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered city agencies to slash budgets.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has said the budget cuts may cause the cancellation of a new class of police officers entering the academy in January.

Several hundred protesters briefly marched through the Wall Street neighborhood Monday evening. The Rev. Al Sharpton and rapper Kanye (KAHN'-yay) West also made impromptu appearances at a park where protesters gathered.