NEW YORK—New police officers joined the NYPD Thursday—838 of them—after graduating from six months of training at the Police Academy in Gramercy Park. The rookies will now get paired with veterans under Operation Impact, which has the pairs patrol high-crime areas.
“Next Wednesday, you'll experience your first assignment as full-fledged police officers, helping to protect the more than 1 million people who attend the New York City fireworks display on the Fourth of July,” NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly told the graduating officers, according to a statement. “Let it mark the beginning of a great new career.”
One-fifth of the graduating class hailed from 42 countries outside the United States, including Egypt, Brazil, Jamaica, Ukraine, and the Dominican Republic.
Approximately 24 percent of the graduates are Hispanic, 11 percent are black, 6 percent are Asian, and 59 percent are white. More than 110 of the new graduates are female, or about 14 percent.
The previous class graduated on Dec. 22, at Madison Square Garden. Thursday’s graduation took place at St. John’s University.
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