527 new cops boost NYPD’s ranks

The NYPD welcomed 527 new police officers to its ranks Tuesday following their graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden and six months of training at the police academy in Queens.

In congratulating the recruits, Commissioner Edward Caban said that to have made it to this point proved they had something exceptional. “Getting here was no easy task. There were challenges at every turn, and for good reason, because there are real challenges waiting for you right outside these doors,” he said. 

The brand-new officers, Caban added, would add to a tradition of distinction, but one that comes with “an awesome responsibility.”

“The patch on that uniform is the very definition of excellence in policing around the globe,” he said. “Today you are now part of a living legacy of service and sacrifice that stretches back 178 years, and now you are the keepers of that legacy,” he said. 

Noting that 25 percent of the recruits were born abroad, hailing from 41 different countries and speaking 27 languages, Caban said they reflected one of the department’s greatest strengths, its diversity. “You look like the city you serve,” he said. 

Mayor Eric Adams, who retired as an NYPD captain after 22 years as a police officer, invoked the American dream as he both cautioned and encouraged the new officers.

“You water the tree of freedom with your blood, your sweat, your commitment, your tears,” Adams said. “I know and you know can go from being a commander in Manhattan to being the mayor of the City of New York. It's up to you to decide. But one thing you have to do, you have to always be ready.”

The department has been beset by record numbers of retirements and resignations since 2020. As of earlier this month, the NYPD counted 33,582 officers, about 4 percent fewer than the 35,030 budgeted by the city. 

But city and NYPD officials have cited new contract terms for officers, ratified earlier this year, as reasons to be hopeful for a bump in recruitment.

Richard Khavkine