The New York City Police Department cannot immediately fire dozens of rookie officers, including some with criminal records, who were allegedly hired illegally by the department, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled.

A 23-year-old suspect in the brutal beating and mugging of an off-duty NYPD officer still in uniform was apprehended in Virginia and spent a month fighting his extradition.

The NYPD is purging its ranks of 31 police officers who were improperly hired in 2023 and 2024, a department spokesperson said Thursday. The officers will be forced to resign or will be fired that day,