NYPD welcomes record number of recruits to the force at swearing-in ceremony
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NYPD welcomed a record number of recruits to the force on Wednesday with a swearing-in ceremony of 1,143 recruits.
The record year of recruiting started with the hiring of 1,046 officers back in January, an additional 773 in April and 1,094 new recruits in August, in addition to the recruits on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 4,000.
The NYPD says this brings the overall departmental headcount to more than 34,000 officers, restoring numbers to the level required by the City Council.
But the PBA remains critical of department staffing, saying an "exodus" of officers erases any hiring gains and arguing the NYPD needs to return to peak staffing, about 40,000 officers.
"This year, the NYPD did not experience an unexpected or extreme wave of departures. Retirements this year were exactly what we projected, based on the 3,700 officers that we hired 20 years ago in 2005. More importantly, despite what critics say, the number of people leaving the department before they're eligible for their full pension is down by more than 40% since 2022," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The NYPD also wants to highlight that the diversity of this class reflects the diversity of the city: a quarter of them are immigrants, and the class represents 46 countries.
After taking the oath on Wednesday morning, the recruits went straight to class. They will graduate and be on the streets of New York in six months.
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