MAYOR GIULIANI AND COMMISSIONER SAFIR WELCOME 1,500 NEW
RECRUITS TO THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir today administered the oath of office to 1,500 New York City Police Recruits at a swearing-in ceremony at Queens College. The new class reflects the Department's ongoing efforts to attract Officers that are representative of the City's diverse population. Among the recruits entering the Academy are 31 cadets, 5 school safety agents and three traffic enforcement agents.

"Today, these 1,500 men and women take the first step toward becoming New York City Police Officers - members of the finest, best trained, best equipped, most restrained and most professional police force in the nation," the Mayor said. "This entering class demonstrates how the NYPD is making great strides in attracting an incredibly diverse group of talented men and women. Despite their varied personal and professional backgrounds, they share in common a desire to safeguard the well being of seven-and-a-half million people."

The Mayor continued, "Over the next several challenging months, they will discover firsthand why serving as a New York City Police Officer is both a privilege and an awesome responsibility. When they complete their rigorous training, they will come to the job with an appreciation for its risks, and with the knowledge that the work is always demanding and sometimes dangerous. But they will also understand that there are few things in life more personally rewarding than a career in public service. It is an honor to administer the oath of office to 1,500 new members of New York's Finest."

Police Commissioner Safir said, "The NYPD is proud to welcome aboard the newest members of New York's Finest. We will be counting on these men and women to work especially hard throughout their Police Academy training so they will be ready to help the Police Department deliver another year of substantial crime reductions. Over 43 percent of our new recruits come from minority communities and 60 percent are City residents. We expect their diversity and close ties to New York City to help us provide an even greater level of police service to all New Yorkers."

The current composition of the NYPD is approximately 66 percent white and 34 percent minority. By comparison, the incoming class is approximately 57 percent white and 43 percent minority. Of the 1,500 new recruits, 60 percent are City residents.

The Mayor and Police Commissioner presided over the graduation of 1,224 new members of the New York City Police Department at a ceremony last week at Madison Square Garden. The deadline to apply for the next Police Officers exam is April 4. For more information, call 212-RECRUIT.

 

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