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Brittney Roy, of Massapequa Park on Long Island, was sworn in Thursday along with 473 other recruits during a ceremony held at the city's police academy in Queens.
"Since I was very young, growing up in the police department, you really see the true heroes they have in the departments," she said. "And it's just always been a dream to be one of them, especially with what my dad had done for the nation. It was a true aspiration to be able to try to follow in his footsteps."
Her father, Sgt. Timothy Roy, was assigned to the NYPD's surface transit enforcement division. He was working in Brooklyn courts when the terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Brittney Roy, now 22, was 7 years old when her father died.
"I was told was he in traffic court that day, not actually on duty," she said. "He did hear of the tragedy after the first plane hit, and he immediately went towards the city to see what he could do."
The 36-year-old Roy rushed to Lower Manhattan to help. He was last seen by the South Tower before it collapsed. His body was found the following March.
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"The day before St. Patrick's Day, which was his favorite holiday, he was found," she said. "And we were able to bury his boy at that point."
She said she always dreamed of joining the force.
"When I was in college -- I graduated from the University of Rhode Island -- I took the exam for the city police and for Suffolk County," she said. "But at a very young age, I have always wanted to be an officer."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)