Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner O'Neill Deliver Remarks at the NYPD Graduation Ceremony

June 29, 2017

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Congratulations, officers. This is the first time you’re hearing that title and it’s a title that you have earned through hard work and commitment. I know these last months have taken so much physically, mentally. It’s been a tough, tough run to get to this place but that’s the way it’s supposed to be because we demand the best of those who join the best police department in this nation and, in fact, in this world.

So congratulations because you’re worthy. You’ve proven it. You were determined to each this day, now it’s here. That took a lot and I really want to express my admiration to each and every one of you. There are a lot of people who would love to be sitting where you are right now.

I can tell you, whenever I go all over the country, I talk to police officers and I talk to civilians and their admiration for the NYPD is universal. You are the very top of your profession as you join this department.

So, this is a day to celebrate but I want to remind you, every one of you, this is about your achievement but it’s also about all of those who stood by you and supported you, helped encourage your dreams, told you you could make it. All of your family members who are here today, this is their day too. This is their day to celebrate. This is their achievement too.

And family members, I want to say, especially to the mothers and fathers – I want to share my pride in these good young men and women with you. You have a lot to be proud of today. You worked hard too. I know you did.

So, family members, give yourselves a round of applause, please.

[Applause]

The respect afforded to the NYPD has been earned generation after generation. And the achievement particularly in the last few decades of reaching a definition, reaching a title for this city that would have been unimaginable in the past, we get to say, now, all of us, and all the good people sitting behind me – and I want to thank Commissioner O’Neill and Chief Gomez and all the leadership of the NYPD because today in New York City we can say we are the safest big city in America. That is an achievement that took decades.

But now it’s a known fact. That’s the department you are joining, that achieved what would have seemed impossible 20 or 30 years ago, literally impossible.

But great innovators, great strategists believed there was something greater ahead. And then countless men and women in uniform made it real every single day. That’s the tradition that you are now going to add to. That’s the winning team that you are now joining. And the amazing thing about this team is it’s a winning team, it sets new records year after year, and then never stops, never rests on their laurels, keeps going, keeps aiming higher. That’s the team you’re joining.

Four-hundred-and-eight. Four-hundred-and-eight of you. Four-hundred-and-eight new guardians for this city. Four-hundred-and-eight new champions of justice, of fairness, and safety.

Now, some of you are continuing in a family tradition and there’s particular appreciation for that in the NYPD. It’s a beautiful thing when this commitment, this mission is passed from one generation to another.

But a lot of you are the first in your family to join the NYPD and you are starting your own new tradition. Some of you – and I want to express my particular appreciation for this group – some of you are no strangers to service and no strangers to wearing a uniform in defense of others.

Everyone, please join me in saluting the 33 veterans in this class for their service to this country.

[Applause]

And all of you represent that best of New York City. This – again, it’s tough to get to this moment. It takes so much determination, so much talent. You represent the best among us. You come from every corner of this city, every neighborhood, every background, and you represent the very best of your generation.

Because this is the world’s most diverse and complex city, a city admired all over the world, we value the fact that each of you brings experience and understanding that will help you do the job better. We have members of this class born in different countries – 32 different countries represented. We have 39 different languages spoken. All of that will help to make this an even stronger department.

And I want to express my special appreciation – in a society always working on our founder’s vision of an ever more perfect union, an ever more equal society – I want to specially thank the 20 percent of you who are women. We thank you for joining this NYPD.

[Applause]

Every one of you has a different story, a different path, a different inspiration that led you to this moment. Everyone here has a story and it’s a story that had a happy ending because it led you serve others, it led you to choose to commit your life to the wellbeing of your fellow man and woman.

One, I want to hold out because of something he said that really struck me – Officer John Sorocki, who is the valedictorian of this class and recipient of the Mayor’s Award. John thought about what his commitment meant and he said something very simple and powerful. Here’s a quote. He said, “You shouldn’t join the NYPD unless you want to help people. You can help people in a lot of other professions but not like the NYPD does.”

John is saying something very, very important there. There are plenty of other good things that one can be. You can be a teacher. You can be a doctor. You can be a nurse. There’s all sorts of ways to help. But the NYPD does something in particular. One of the biggest cities in the world and unquestionable the most complex city in the world. You walk into people’s lives, people you’ve never met, often at the moment of the greatest crisis they’ve ever experienced, and you become the difference maker. You become the solution to a problem that at that moment they fear there is no hope. You become the lifesaver in so many instances.

What an extraordinary thing to be that hero who can, on a moment’s notice, stop a tragedy and help keep a life on a positive course. And when you do that you affect not just that person but that entire family. You change history in that moment. That’s something an NYPD officer can do that has almost no parallel in the rest of our society.

And so I commend you for choosing a mission this important. We know it’s not easy. We know your training and your instincts will be tested everyday but something in each of you made you want to walk on the toughest playing field, take on the biggest challenges. Something powerful in your makeup led you to make that decision.

You joined at a historic moment. Not only the biggest city in America but a city that’s leading the nation in deepening the partnership and the communication and the mutual respect between police and community.

What Commissioner O’Neill has done with the vision of neighborhood policing has proven to be even greater than what was imagined because we see the city getting safer, because we see community members offering officers more and more information to help keep community and officers both safe. Because our officers are getting the thank yous that they’ve long deserved. Because some of the walls and the barriers of the past are coming down.

This is a very hopeful moment. We got a great opportunity to build on it but we need a new generation who’s going to deepen that, and that’s you. We need a new generation who’s going to be out there in every part of the city making life better and safer, we need a new generation that believes it can go even farther than those who came before.

And I look forward to the day that some of you are sitting up here in leadership of this department continuing that progress.

Finally, I want to say to the family members, all of us up here we have an obligation to you because this is a day where you’re tremendously proud but every single one of us as members of the family, we of course, have a deep concern for all those who serve in uniform. We care about their safety – something on your mind every single day.

Our job, all of us, is to protect these good men and women. To give them the best training – and I guarantee you the training that you received is the most advanced this department has ever achieved. To give you the best equipment, the best protective gear, to make sure your numbers are strong so that there’s always that support and that backup.

And we’re particularly proud of the fact that over the last two years we have added 2,000 more officers on patrol in this city. That keeps everyone safe. We owe it to you to make those investments [inaudible] your safety, always in the front of our mind.

So, family members, I want you to know that’s the commitment. I want you to know we appreciate and understand the concern but we also know that you know that every single year, every single generation, someone has to come forward to protect everyone else. And your loved ones have made that noble choice.

Officers, I thank you. It’s a noble profession, not the easiest, but it’s one of the very noblest. You made that choice. And behalf of eight-and-a-half million New Yorkers I say, thank you for making that choice. Thank you for your strength. Thank you for your determination. Thank you for joining the very best.

God bless you all.

[Applause]

Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill: Good morning, everyone.

Are you going to smile at all? Come on – 6.5 months, six months – and you can’t smile. Did they tell you not to smile? You got the best job in the world – smile a little bit, this is a great day for you. And a smile doesn’t hurt for sure.

[Applause]

Almost 35 years – I’m still smiling.

Morning, everyone. And welcome to everybody here. And to each of our newest police officers – congratulations. Great job.

Today you’re being sworn in as New York City police officers. Just let that sink in for a moment. You should never take that lightly. You are now New York City cops – members of the NYPD – the largest and most respected police department in our nation, arguably the most diverse, and certainly the best trained. So today, at your graduation – like I said, it’s okay to smile because you deserve it.

You worked incredibly hard to get where you are sitting today. You just completed one of the most thorough, most challenging police academies in the country. This is a day you’ll remember for the rest of your careers. As a matter of fact, I was just talking to Chief Gomez, and it’s hard to believe that it’s 35 years ago for me, and 33 years ago for him. It seems like it was just yesterday.

For the 408 of you, I feel like this right here, right now is one of the most exciting times in our profession. The NYPD’s neighborhood policing philosophy – it’s redefining what it means to protect our great city and everyone who lives, works, and visits here. Neighborhood policing is revolutionizing how we interact and how we serve. We put into practice a crime-fighting model of policing that’s restoring the patrol officer to a problem-solver, and to supporting your ability to be real decision-makers on the street – independent thinkers who truly get to know the people that make up all of our diverse communities. Today, you’re agreeing to safeguard the more than 8.5 million New Yorkers who live here, and the millions more who commute here and visit here. Ultimately how you’re perceived and evaluated by this department and by all New Yorkers is up to you. What counts more than anything is your character and your professionalism. Now you’ll handle the challenges we face on the streets, in the housing developments, and down in the subway system, where I started, as I said, 35 years ago.

I can tell you firsthand, this is the most rewarding profession you will ever have. Not every day will be a good day. I always say it’s a great job, not always a fun job. But you’ll enjoy the work that you’re doing – you’re working fighting crime and keeping people safe. And that’s what it’s about after all. You took this job to make a difference. You took this job to do good, and you will – every day you put that uniform on and go out there and help. There aren’t many jobs where you can have such a direct impact on people’s lives. We’re making a difference in the fabric of neighborhoods and how children grow up.

When you leave this building today, you’ll be tasked with coming up with creative ways to help people in all of our neighborhoods – listen to their stories, respect their cultures, work to address their concerns. Listen to the people. Talk to the people. It’s the best part of this job. You’ll find the trust that you’ll earn will be to everyone’s benefit. And it’s always going to be about trust – the trust we place in you and the trust we place in the members of our communities.

And believe me – we need the public’s help to continue to drive crime down, beyond the already record lows we have achieved. Because real public safety is a shared responsibility, and that’s true now more than ever. It’s not something the NYPD does alone. The MTA, Amtrak, my good friend Bill Sweeney from the FBI, all the prosecutors, all 8.5 million people help us make this city safer. By working with the public, we’re going to keep identifying crime patterns early on. We’re going to keep pinpointing who the real criminals are. We’re going to use precision policing to focus on that element. Make no mistake about it – the criminals who commit the majority of the violence here in New York make up a relatively small percentage of our population. That’s who we’re going after. We do it every day, and we won’t ever stop.

In our vast city, you’ll probably encounter people and places quite unlike those you are familiar with. You’ll also find a lot of commonalities as the NYPD continues year after year to look more like the public we serve. I think the most important thing you’re going to find out is – people of this great city [inaudible]. They want to live in peace, they want to be happy, and they want to take care of their families.

We have an incredible diversity in this graduating class. As the Mayor said, you speak 39 different languages, and you come from some of the most far-flung corners of the world – Ghana, Chile, Uzbekistan – to name just a few. And you had an incredible mix of former occupations. Among you are iron workers, letter carriers, teachers, paramedics, aircraft mechanics, taxi drivers. Taxi drivers – when you get out there, can you slow down a little bit?

[Laughter]

A dental hygienist, and at least one jiu jitsu master. Some of you are veterans of the armed forces. We thank you for everything you’ve done for our country, and we know that your military bearing will have a positive impact on New Yorkers.

Police Officer Michael [inaudible] – for example, joined the U.S. Army after high school and while deployed to Iraq, won the 1st Cavalry Division Soldier of the Year award in 2012. Michael said he’s always wanted to be an NYPD cop, and we’re fortunate to now count him among our ranks. Congratulations, Michael. Let’s have a round of applause for Michael.

[Applause]

Many of you are the first generation going into policing, but others come from families who have deep blue roots in our department. Police Officer Ryan Donnellan is sitting out there with you this morning, proudly wearing a silver shield bearing the number 9304. Ryan’s uncle, Vincent, wore that shield before him. And Ryan’s dad, Patrick, wore it before that. The tradition started even earlier, with Ryan’s grandfather, Christopher Donnellan, who wore it from 1959 until his retirement in 1981, about 22 years. Christopher Donnellan is 90 years old now, and he was good enough to join us today, so he could see the tradition of courage, dedication, and professionalism passed down to the next generation of New York City crime fighter. I’m pretty sure he’s sitting here [inaudible] to my left, right behind the recruits. So how ‘bout a round of applause for the whole Donnellan family.

[Applause]

And to new Police Officer Ryan Donnellan – welcome to our NYPD family.

I know there are many great stories out there. Each and every one of you is now an heir to the same legacy of service that has defined the NYPD since 1845. Regardless of the path you took to get to these seats today, you’re all here for the same reasons – you want to make this city an even greater place.

I want to thank the members of our Candidate Assessment Division and Chief of Personnel Diana Pizzuti; the dedicated instructors and staff of the Police Academy, led by Assistant Chief Theresa Shortell; and our Training Bureau.

And finally, I’d like to thank the family and friends of graduates who have joined us here today. You are the ones who supported these officers as they embarked on this new journey. And you’re the ones who will continue to be there, by their sides for years to come. Every chance I get, I tell people that as cops, we have the best jobs in the world, and we certainly do. It is our wives and husbands, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who have the hardest jobs – the most difficult. Thank you for supporting our city’s newest protectors.

I’m so proud to welcome you all to the world of law enforcement. And I’m excited about making our way forward together. Before I close, to all 408 of you – if you have friends that make bad decisions, leave them now. You worked long and hard to get into these seats today, and you don’t want anything stupid to happen to you. All right? So make that decision today.

[Applause]

Enjoy today with your family as you deserve it, congratulations again, and I’ll probably see you all on the Fourth of July.

Thank you very much.