NYPD academy graduates 576 as union says ‘we need more’ amid staff crunch
The latest NYPD academy class will put 576 new city and MTA cops on the streets and in the city subway system – including some second-generation officers.
The ceremony at Madison Square Garden on Monday consisted of 430 new male officers and another 146 women who will now wear a badge in the Big Apple, the department said.
Police said 63% of the graduates call the five boroughs home, with 54 members of the new class having served time in the military – and bringing 34 different languages to the beat.
The graduates include 33 Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers – including at least three who received their badges from their cop dads, the transit agency said.
New cop John Bennett is the son of Darren Bennett, an active MTA officer with the younger Bennett assigned badge number 2551 – one more than his dad’s digits of 2550.
John Edward Decker received his badge from his father, retired Westchester County Sgt. Richard Decker, while newly anointed MTA officer Ryan Szaniszlo got his from his retired NYPD dad, Joseph Szaniszlo.
“We are excited to welcome these officers to the force and join the team of our dedicated law enforcement officers,” MTA police Chief of Operations Thomas Taffe said in a statement.
“They have demonstrated their commitment to public safety through weeks of multifaceted training and I look forward to the start of their careers, upholding the values of the MTA Police Department of professionalism and integrity,” Taffe said.
The academy puts would-be cops through a rigorous six-month training regimen.
Mayor Eric Adams said last month that he expects to bring the ranks of the NYPD up to 35,000 after a significant period of diminishing numbers since the start of the pandemic.
Through June 30 of last year, 648 officers had quit before their scheduled retirement dates — a 22% jump over two years earlier when 530 left the force and an 87% bump from 2020, when 347 quit.
As of last month, the NYPD had 33,695 sworn officers on the force.
Meanwhile, the city’s police union praised the new class of police graduates but said City Hall has to do a better job recruiting and keeping cops on the job.
“This graduating class provides welcome reinforcements for our overworked members on the streets, but we need more,” NYPD PBA union president Patrick Hendry said.
“The NYPD is still understaffed by thousands, hundreds of cops are leaving every month and the challenges we face are growing by the day,” Hendry said. “New York City must continue to focus on not only recruiting the Finest but also keeping the talented police officers were already have.”