When the New York Police Department (NYPD) was established in 1845, Mayor Isaac Varian expressed the hope that the city's peace officers would be "but a part of the citizens" rather than outsiders. To that end, each ward had its own police station, while policemen were required to live in the precinct. Local control was a political necessity of the time, but with the department established, localism began a long decline. The residency requirement was never strictly enforced, but at first, two-thirds to three-fourths of the police lived in the ward in which they worked. After the requirement was abolished in 1857, the number of local residents dropped to less than half. Regardless of the rules, practical considerations dictated living near the workplace since mass transit was limited and expensive.