Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today swore in a new class of 1,121 New York Police Department (NYPD) recruits.  Today’s class has one of the highest percentages of minorities to be hired in a single class with 54% minority graduates. Today’s class is also made up of 325 recruits who have received four-year college degrees; 275 have completed associates degrees; 14 have earned Master’s degrees; and one has earned a doctoral degree.  The swearing-in ceremony took place at Brooklyn College.

“I am proud to swear in today’s 1,121 recruits as they join New York’s Finest,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “Today, they join a police department that has distinguished itself as being the national leader in reducing crime. Thanks to their hard work, New York City is the safest big city in America and is getting safer every year.  I’m confident that today’s class will continue to serve this City well and use the training they will receive from the Police Academy to keep all New Yorkers safe.”

"We are proud to welcome this extremely diverse and talented new class of police officers to the ranks of the New York City Police Department,” said Commissioner Kelly. “They can be counted on to excel in their training and build on the success of their fellow officers in fighting crime to historic lows while defending the City from terrorism."

This class of recruits is the first class to be sworn in this year. The Police Department hires two classes each year to help keep the headcount and patrol strength level throughout the year. This has been standard practice for the NYPD since 2004.  The recruits will spend nearly seven months training at the Police Academy. Upon graduation, new officers will be assigned to various commands throughout the City, including the Patrol Services Bureau, Housing Bureau, and Transit Division.  The average age of this class is 26 years old.  The following is a breakdown of gender and ethnicity of the 1,121 recruits being sworn in:

Male: 79%
Female: 21% 

White: 46%
Hispanic: 28% 
Black: 18%
Asian: 7%
Other: 1%