He opened up with a message of hope to the 524 new recruits and got choked up addressing the death of Officer Miosotis Familia.
Watch O'Neill's address in the video above
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O'Neill reassured the recruits that they had made the right career choice.
He said the fatal shooting of Officer Miosotis may have caused some recruits to wonder if they made the right career choice, but his message to them is "absolutely yes."
NYC police commissioner gets emotional during swearing-in ceremony of new recruits
O'Neill said that department-wide "nobody is doing well." He also called the events of early Wednesday morning "a real blow" to a department that had just ensured the safety of a city on July 4th.
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Officer Miosotis, a 12-year veteran of the NYPD, was fatally shot while in the police command post parked at the intersection of East 183rd Street and Morris Avenue early Wednesday.