James A. Gagliano is a CNN law enforcement analyst and retired FBI supervisory special agent. He is also an adjunct assistant professor and doctoral candidate at St. John's University in Queens, New York, and a member of the board of directors at the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesAGagliano. The views expressed in this commentary are his. Read more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) The New York City Police Department has reached a critical point. The Covid-19 scourge has eroded the ranks of a noble department that weathered the Civil War, the 1918 influenza pandemic, the stock market crash in 1929, World Wars I and II and the September 11 terrorist attacks.

James Gagliano

In a department of about 36,000 sworn officers, 7,096 -- or 19.6% of the uniformed workforce -- were out sick on Friday, according to data issued by the NYPD. Some 2,314 uniformed members and 453 civilian employees have tested positive for Covid-19, and 19 employees have lost their lives as a result of the virus.

The NYPD suffered an incomprehensible 23 losses on 9/11 (hundreds more died in subsequent years from 9/11-related illnesses ). It's devastating to think that the casualties from Covid-19 may soon eclipse this.

Despite the mounting crisis in New York City, we rely on the NYPD to continue to show up on the front lines. It is difficult to consider a more vital resource in American life than our police, who work hard to enforce the law and ensure our safety.

Although crime is down now beause of the state of emergency, crime in New York City was on the rise in the first three months of 2020. Now that New York City is the epicenter of the pandemic, police are under unprecedented pressure.