"Graduates you have answered the call. You have made the grade." This was the official confirmation spoken by Mayor Bloomberg to the 256 graduates of the New York City Police Academy at Madison Square Garden Thursday.
The new members of New York City’s Finest will join Operation Impact. Begun in 2003, the program teams rookies with experienced officers for assignment in high-crime areas. Commissioner Raymond Kelly, presiding over the ceremony with Mayor Bloomberg cites it as, "…the city’s biggest contributor to the city-wide fall in crime."
The ceremony saw the promotion of an exceptional number of trainees with already established service records. The mayor’s office reports this group of service men and women are amongst the most experienced to have ever graduated from the NYPD program. Approximately 27% were Police Cadets prior to entering the Academy and 10% are veterans of the United States military.
Exemplifying the extraordinary achievements of this 2009 class, Officer Kevin Butt, valedictorian and recipient of the Mayor’s Award and the First Deputy Commissioner’s Award, thanked his instructors and urged his fellow classmates to foster the close-knit comradery of the department begun at the beginning of the six month intensive training program.
Mayor Bloomberg hinted at the dire fiscal concerns faced by the city, "Every city agency must do more with less, including the police department." It was budget constraints that nearly caused the cancellation of the ceremony. The result was a class size about a quarter the usual number.
Speaking after the ceremony, Commissioner Kelly reported these new graduates will be used to replace the 250 current members of Operation Impact who will be transferred to regular patrol duty to cover shortfalls in the department.
Despite the toll the recession is taking on the NYPD’s budget, Commissioner Kelly attributes this year’s 12% decrease in crime to low attrition in the department. He reports there are no immediate plans to add additional officers. Officials are awaiting definitive word from the federal government on the city’s share of the stimulus money which they are hoping will be enough to supplement the budget for new officers. It is expected by the end of July.
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