Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces Expanded Eligibility Requirements and Continued Funding Has Put City on Path to 35,000 Uniformed NYPD Officers by Fall 2026

April 30, 2025

Chief John Benoit, Personnel, Police Department: Good morning, recruits. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I do hereby pledge and declare that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the State of New York that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the position of Police Officer of the New York City Police Department. Afforded to the best of my ability. So help me God. Congratulations and welcome. 

Captain Jack Conway, Ceremonial Unit, Police Department: Thank you, Chief Benoit. It's now my pleasure to introduce the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable Jessica S. Tisch. Thank you. 

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Good morning, recruits. Love that. I wanna first begin by thanking Mayor Adams for being here with us this morning. Hiring the next class of New York City police officers is a huge win for New York City and for public safety. And since day one of his administration, our mayor has proven that he is certainly the public safety mayor. 

A former NYPD cop himself, he has always been committed to getting this department the tools and the resources that we need to get the job done. And that certainly includes today's hiring of nearly 700 new recruits. It's an important milestone to ensure the department has the headcount that we need to keep New York City safe.  

But it's also a defining moment for each of you. The start of your service to New York City. You just took the oath of office, but the oath is only the beginning. Now comes the real work of living up to it every single day.  

You are all now officially police officers, and you are about to begin the journey of earning your shield, one of the most recognized and respected symbols of service anywhere in the world. This class was formed under our newest recruitment strategy, partnering with our fraternal organizations to expand outreach. And the results speak for themselves.  

You represent 39 foreign countries and speak 26 different languages. Over 60 percent of you live right here in the city that you now serve. You reflect the rich diversity of New York, and you will bring that strength into every neighborhood of every borough. You're joining at a time of real progress.  

Crime is down, shootings are at their lowest level ever, and more than 21,500 illegal guns are off our streets since Mayor Adams took office. But we are not done yet. There's more work to do, and we don't stay safe by standing still. We raise the standards because the people of this city deserve the very best, and you will be instrumental in the next wave of the NYPD's crime-fighting success.  

Today marks the start of your six-month journey through the NYPD Academy, one of the finest law enforcement training programs anywhere, and it's gotten tougher. The academic standards are more rigorous, and because of that, you will now earn 45 college credits when you graduate. We're also expanding your training with new tools like ICAT, preparing you to safely and compassionately handle high-stress situations, especially involving people in mental distress.  

By graduation, you will be trained, equipped, and ready to take on the everyday challenges that you will face. That's the level of excellence that we expect. That's the level of excellence that New Yorkers demand, and it's the level I expect from you as you carry out our mission. For me, public service isn't just a job. It's a calling.  

I have dedicated my life to this city, and today you have chosen to do the same. Understand what that truly means. It means putting others first. It means meeting the moment when everything is on the line. It means carrying yourself with pride, with integrity, and honor every single day. Policing is noble work. It demands your best in every action, every decision, every moment.  

Your shields are waiting for you. Now earn them. And once you do, make this city proud. So congratulations on this tremendous achievement, and welcome to the greatest Police Department in the world. Welcome to the NYPD.  

Captain Conway: Thank you, Commissioner Tisch. It's now my pleasure to introduce the mayor of the City of New York, the Honorable Eric Adams.  

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you, commissioner, and I think you really set the tone. Last night, I was on the back porch of Gracie Mansion, drinking a cognac and smoking a cigar, looking out over the water, and talking to a good friend of mine. Forty years ago, we were sitting in the Police Academy on 21st Street.  

Forty years ago. And he was laughing at some of the things that we experienced going through the academy and how much fun we had in company 84-60. And that relationship stayed intact for over forty years. There are people you are going to meet here today you're going to know the rest of your lives.  

You're going to go to their weddings. You're going to be there when their first child is born. You're going to be there when they're in an unfortunate situation. You're going to walk into the hospital sometimes when there's an incident that impacts one of your colleagues. The relationships you're going to develop in the Police Academy is more than the training of how to go through the academic exercise of being a police officer.  

You're going to develop into one of the finest thinkers in the entire country. When I finished my career twenty two years later as a captain, I went on to become a state senator. Then to become the first person of color to be the borough president. And now I'm the mayor of the greatest city on the globe. This city is great because of public safety. Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.  

We would never be able to do anything if we're not safe. But don't kid yourself. This is a hard job. And it's not made for everyone. This is a moment where you must be more disciplined than ever. Everyone has a camera. Everyone wants to criticize you. Everyone wants to critique what you've done and how you could have done it better. But the overwhelming number of New Yorkers love to see you every day.  

My young kid brother followed me after I left and entered the Police Department. He was the youngest of all of us. He called me one week after being on patrol. He was assigned to Operation Pressure Point down on Delancey Street. At that time, we were dealing with a high level of drugs and violence. Bernard was never around any type of violence at all. Being the kid brother of six, he was often protected. He called me while on patrol when I was studying for a sergeant.  

He says, “Eric, I'm going to quit. I'm hearing all of this over the radio. I'm hearing all this violence and shots fired. I can't do this. I'm not going to be able to carry this out.” All his life, he wanted to be a police officer. And within a few days, he was going to quit. When I hung up the phone, I said, “Bernard, please, just give it one more week.”  He says, “Okay, I'll try.” But I knew in his voice he was going to quit.  

I decided to get dressed. It was a snowy night. I got dressed, and I met him on his post. And I walked his post with him that entire night. And I said, “Bernard, say hello to people. Stop in the stores and chat with people. Say have a good day. Say Merry Christmas.” And he did it over and over again throughout that night. And all of a sudden, he realized that what he was hearing on the radio was not what this city was about.  

People were happy to see him. They said, “Thank you, officer. Have a safe tour, officer.” About two weeks later, we were driving through the precinct off duty. And he says, “Eric, you see this precinct? These are my streets. I protect these streets. I decide safety on the street.” He went from a scared young man to a well-tuned police officer.  

And you're going to feel that way while on patrol. You're going to feel as though there are those who don't want you there. You're going to focus on those who are going to be angry, those who are going to tweet about you. But trust me when I tell you, your one good morning, people will remember that for their entire day. You find a lost child, that family and that block will always think about you. You are the one that responds to a robbery victim and shows them the compassion that they deserve.  

They will always remember that. You are our ambassadors to what this city is. That uniform means so much to so many people. That is why the commissioner and I had a full frontal approach to addressing the hemorrhaging of police officers in our city and in our country. We're now seeing new numbers moving in a new direction.  

As she indicated, close to 700 are joining us today to match the over 2,000 that came in place previously. We're moving back to the numbers that we know we could have to make sure this city is safe as we deal with all of the challenges that law enforcement must face. You don't have the luxury to determine who's the president or who's the mayor or who's the governor. You must be consistent throughout your entire career and continue to follow the laws.  

We sit under the tree of freedom because you water that tree with your blood, sweat, and tears. That is a cornerstone of who and what we are. There's no question when I talk to my colleagues across the entire country about which city is the best, they debate about the second and the third. But everyone looks towards me and they say no one can argue.  

New York City is the best city on the globe. And it's a privilege and an honor to serve as a member of the New York City Police Department. When you travel across the country, you're going to see people look at you in awe for the roles that you are about to place. And as I look throughout this crowd, I want to say thank you to the recruitment unit.  

This class is diverse in languages and ethnicities and culture, with women and men coming together to do the role and the job of the men and women of the New York City Police Department. Great career. You look at someone like Tania Kinsella, who's the first deputy commissioner, second woman to hold that role. Or look at Commissioner Tisch, second woman police commissioner in the history of the department, and the first Jewish woman to be police commissioner, putting her own title on this.  

So those of you who are sitting here right now, you can fill these roles. Chief John Chell and his story, and all of the others that are sitting here on this dais. I never thought in my life, in 1984, when I raised my right hand and took it off the office, that one day I would be responsible and in charge of the entire administration in this city. But what I learned as a police officer prepared me for who I am today.  

So don't take this training for granted. Don't just go through the motion. Meet new friends and colleagues. One of you will be sitting on the porch of Gracie Mansion smoking a cigar, drinking a glass of cognac, talking to one of the people you met today. And enjoy the job. Have fun. Laugh. Tease and joke. Meet people. Interact. Become the ambassadors.  

Here, you sit here today, and you [are] in this rigid, stiff environment with “Yes sir, yes ma'am, yes sir” but that's not in the streets. Enjoy being a police officer. We're going to continue to [increase] our numbers. This is what we're going to do. In February, as the commissioner indicated, we announced new standards. Putting in place to recruit additional officers, including looking at the college credit requirement.  

You're now getting a new increased number of college credits. Go get your degree at night or during the day if need be. Take advantage of these college credits. And with the simple changes that we've made, we changed the game. Bolstering recruitment by expanding eligibility and modernizing interest requirements. Huge change to get the results we're looking for, and they're extremely impressive.  

Increasing our output by over 45 percent, from an average of 56 applicants to 81 applicants per day. And since we announced new changes to required college credits, in February, over 9,700 new filers have applied to take the police officer exam. This is a testament of how many people want to join the rank and file of this department. And we're looking forward to more changes.  

The other half of the equation is funding. You have to invest in public safety, and we're doing just that. This year's budget includes $3.4 billion for approximately 34,000 police officers, including four academy classes. These are record numbers that we are showing. The expansion of eligibility combined with our financial commitment puts New York City on track back to 35,000 police officers by 2026.  

Think about that for a moment. 35,000 partners, 35,000 public servants that's protecting our city, 35,000 that are going to ensure we remain the safest big city in America, to deal with protests, to deal with terrorism, to deal with those who want to harm innocent people, to deal with ensuring [the] lost children, children who need support, families who need support will be there.  

35,000, and you are among them. We got a deep bench, and we're looking forward to delivering the championship to the city of public safety. Thank you, and congratulations to you all.  

Captain Conway: And thank you, Mayor Adams. Once again, recruits, congratulations. We look forward to seeing you in six months at your graduation. I'm going to ask you to please stand and remain standing until the dais exits the room. Thank you. 

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