No, a New York City police officer is not a fee-basis government official. A fee-basis government official is someone who earns money by collecting fees for his or her services, rather than being paid a salary or wages. An example is an electrical inspector who receives the inspection fees.
You are an employee. (You get a W-2.) As an employee you cannot deduct job-related expenses on your federal tax return. That deduction was eliminated for 2018 through 2025 by the tax reform law. But job-related expenses are deductible on your New York tax return if you itemize deductions on your New York return. If you think you have enough itemized deductions to exceed your New York standard deduction, enter all your itemized deductions, including job-related expenses, in the federal deductions section of TurboTax. Even if you don't have enough deductions to itemize on your federal tax return, the deductions will flow to the New York return. If your New York itemized deductions are more than your New York standard deduction, TurboTax will use itemized deductions on your New York return.
However, grooming expenses are not deductible as job-related expenses, even if the job has grooming requirements. Mileage is only deductible for using your personal vehicle to travel between work locations. Mileage to or from your home is commuting, which is not deductible.
