Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today presented diplomas to 91 high-school seniors who completed their secondary education at the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety, the only high school in the nation dedicated to law enforcement and public safety training. Commissioner Kelly, Principal Diahann E. Malcolm and other HSLEAPS administrators and NYPD executive staff congratulated the graduates in a ceremony at Police Headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

        Commissioner Kelly said, “How many other students can boast of studying forensics, of learning their way around a crime lab, or of spending time in a mock courtroom, learning about the criminal justice system? There has never been a greater need for intelligent, conscientious, and civic-minded young people to enter law enforcement and public safety, and I am proud to congratulate the second graduating class of the High School For Law Enforcement And Public Safety -- you are now among the best informed members of the public, and we hope you’ll share that knowledge with others.”

        The curriculum at the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety includes Constitutional Law, Criminology, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Forensic Science among other coursework, as well as features guest speakers from the NYPD. Many of the students attending HSLEAPS are student officers in the Law Enforcement Explorers program; 2008 Valedictorian Safiya Edwards (photo ) is a corporal in the NYPD Explorers.

        The High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety was founded in 2003 and is partnered with the NYPD to provide programs to youth in grades 9 through 12. Its campus is in Queens, in the 113 precinct. More information about the school can be found at http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/28/Q690/default.htm.

        A video on the Law Enforcement Explorers program can be seen on the NYPD web site – see Episode 2 under Press Room Videos.

PHOTO: Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly congratulates Safiya Edwards, the valedictorian for the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety Class of 2008 . HSLEAPS is the only high school in the country dedicated to law enforcement and public safety training.

###