New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly will host the graduation ceremony for the newest Police Academy class of 2,108 recruits on Tuesday, January 21, at 11 a.m. The event will take place at Madison Square Garden.

This year's Police Academy class is one of the most educated and most professionally diverse groups in NYPD history. More than 500 graduates, about one-quarter of the class, have received four-year college degrees, and 16 of them have Master's degrees. In addition, more than 400 have completed two-year degrees. The recruits also come from a wide range of professional careers, including airline pilots, attorneys, nurses, optometrists, paramedics, peace officers, social workers, and teachers. About 200 recruits have served in the military.

The class is also one of the most racially diverse in the history of the Department. Almost half of the graduates are minorities: About 25% are Hispanic, 18% are black, and 5% are Asian and other ethnicities. About 52% are white. In addition, about 20% of the graduates are female.