The mission of the Recruit Training Section is to train newly hired uniformed members of the service to meet established performance standards of the New York City Police Department.  The Recruit Training Section is capable of training up to 4,000 recruit officers annually and is the largest municipal police recruit training operation in the world. 

      The supervisors, instructors and support staff of the Recruit Training Section recognize their crucial role and responsibility in molding the police officers of tomorrow.  To this end, the Recruit Training Section is committed to offering the most relevant, current and comprehensive training grounded in the principals of effective community relations, vigilant pursuit of crime reduction and relentless identification, deterrence and proactive response to terrorist-related incidents.

      The curriculum includes Law, Behavior Science, Police Science, Physical Training and Tactics, First Aid, CPR and Firearms Training.  Recruit Officers who complete the vigorous six-month Police Academy are eligible to receive 33 college credits, 18 of which are upper division credits. 

      The Recruit Training Section curriculum is constantly being reviewed and revised to respond to new crime trends and terrorist threats.  Courses that have been recently added or revised include Identity Theft; Media Relations; Terrorism and Terrorist Indicators; Mass Gatherings; Fraudulent Documents; Suspected Explosive Devices; Citywide; and, National Incident Management.  Recruits are required to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum by achieving a minimum passing score of 75% on each of four exams.  Recruits who are unable to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter are not eligible to graduate the Police Academy.

      The Recruit Training Section curriculum also contains hands on training and evaluation through scenario-based training.  Each recruit is evaluated in 12 individual scenarios as well as numerous role-play exercises and workshops.  Recruits must also demonstrate proficiency in Physical Training and Tactics, Emergency Vehicle Operation, Firearms, CPR, First-Aid and Water Safety.