Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
1,359 New Police Officers Graduate
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 27, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 27, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly heralded the new group of police officers to graduate from the Police Academy. And this was the most diverse class. Here are some stats from the city:
Of today's graduates, approximately 28% of the graduates are Hispanic, 17% are black, 8% are Asian, 1% are other ethnicities, and 46% are white. Approximately 18% of the graduates are female. Among today's class, 23% have received four-year college degrees; 17% have completed associates degrees; and 13 individuals have earned Master's degrees. Nearly 90% of the class has had some college education.
And one of the graduates was Joel Witriol, the first Hasidic cop. The Post was so excited about Witriol that he graced a July cover ("NYPD JEW") - only to have egg on its face after learning that Witriol was short some credits and wouldn't be graduating with the summer class. Yesterday, Witriol, who is also the third Hasidic police officer in the country, told the Post that he's not sure what he wants to do in the NYPD - his first assignment is the New Year's Eve night shift.
Here are some books about the NYPD suggested by the Gotham Gazette. We've read Blue Blood by Edward Conlon.
Tagged
bloomberg
Blue Blood
books
college
commissioner kelly
education
Gotham Gazette
mayor
mayor bloomberg
new year
new years
new year's eve
News: NYC
nypd
police
Police Academy
police commissioner
police commissioner kelly
the city
The Police
the post
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Woman found in shallow grave in Queens; her ex-boyfriend is in custody, NYPD says
The city medical examiner ruled Seraphina Pereira’s death a homicide on Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 8:29 a.m. ET
ICE used a warehouse in NJ. Locals are ‘frustrated’ by Sherrill’s response.
A councilmember and immigration activists criticized the governor for not doing more after ICE seemingly admitted to violating a court order.
By
Mike Hayes
News
ICE used a warehouse in NJ. Locals are ‘frustrated’ by Sherrill’s response.
A councilmember and immigration activists criticized the governor for not doing more after ICE seemingly admitted to violating a court order.
By
Mike Hayes
NY Gov. Hochul once resisted a data center pause. Now it’s central to her campaign.
By
Jon Campbell
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
By
Giulia Heyward
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
By
Elizabeth Kim
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .