"This formula makes absolutely no sense and punishing New York City and other municipalities for their success in keeping crime down and people safe sends the wrong message to law enforcement agencies,'' said Sen. Charles Schumer.
Other big cities that did not get money included Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.
Gilbert Moore, a spokesman for the Justice Department's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which gives out the funds, said the requests from cash-strapped departments far exceeded the available grant money.
"Those agencies that had the highest overall score, which denotes the most significant crime and fiscal health issues, are the ones that received the funding,'' he said.
That may mean that New York is better off than most in terms of its safety and its finances, but that was little comfort to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
His spokesman, Jason Post, said city officials "were stunned to find out the city didn't receive a penny of funding. This is another example of pork barrel politics that jeopardizes public safety.''
The decision is especially grating for New York Democrats, who during the Bush administration bemoaned cuts to COPS, only to see the Obama administration revive it and leave New York out.
The NYPD does receive a large share of grant money from other federal programs, particularly counterterrorism grants that add up to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Still, New York lawmakers saw little justification for the rejection of their requests for money to hire new officers.
"It makes no sense that the country's largest city and top terror target will not get this vital funding to help put more officers on the streets," said Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Other cities won big. Sacramento County got more than $21 million, Chattanooga, Tenn., received $4 million and metropolitan Miami got $12 million.
In Connecticut, New Britain, New London and Willimantic shared a total of about $3 million. In New Jersey, six localities will share a total of about $8 million. In upstate New York, Binghamton will receive about $1 million, and Gloversville will get $520,400. | 
