New 448 NYFD officers, from 41 different countries, graduate in a ceremony on 18 April.

h. nazan ışık—

18 April 2018—

We are at the New York Police Department (NYPD) Graduation Ceremony held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Theater is filled with loved ones of four hundred and forty-eight new protectors of New York City who are graduated the NYPD Police Academy today, on 18 April. It is one of the happy events.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner James O’Neill, NYPD executives and elected officials are there to celebrate the newest graduates.

During the National Anthem. (Photo © h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)

Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill delivered remarks at the graduation ceremony.

“I want to say two words that you have been waiting to hear for a long time and you have earned – congratulations, officers,” said Mayor de Blasio

Mayor de Blasio continued, “So what does this graduation mean? It means 448 new guardians for this city. 448 new protectors who will be, in each and every community, seen as people who make a difference. And that’s what neighborhood policing is all about, communities understanding the importance of our police and drawing ever closer to our police, and our police having a deeper connection with our communities.”

Mayor de Blasio believes that 448 newest graduates who come from 41 different countries and speak 45 different languages are going to be able to connect with every kind of New Yorker in every kind of community,

“Let me give you one example from this class. Officer Mikaeel Nasser. And I want to say something that’s a little painful to hear. He was five-years-old when the tragedy and the horror of 9/11 occurred, and in that time, as a young boy, a woman walked up to Officer Nasser one day and told him literally go back to your country. Well here’s the truth, Mikaeel Nasser’s country is the United States of America.

And he is joining over 1,000 proud Muslim-American officers in the NYPD who serve all of us,” he highlighted the graduates’ diversity.

Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill, “Morning everybody. Hey, didn’t you just finish six months of training? Right? How come nobody is smiling?

New graduates smiled.

“Okay here we go. Alright, keep that smile on your face…….no matter what you do, no matter what role you end up in make sure you understand what your number one priority is and that’s to fight crime and to keep the people of this great city safe.

That’s it. Pure and simple. That’s the magic formula. You took this job for one reason and one reason only. You took it because you want to make a difference. You took it because you want to do good. I guess that’s two reason,“ Commissioner O’Neill said.

At the end of the ceremony it is the confetti time.

The newest members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) stand as confetti falls at the conclusion of their police academy graduation ceremony and celebrate with their classmates.