More than a thousand cops graduate from NYPD police academy

New generation of training & tech

December 29, 2015 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Police Commissioner Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio officiated over the graduation of 1,123 new police officers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. This year’s crop of recruits has received more training and technology than any previous class. AP photo by Mary Altaffer

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Police Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio officiated over the graduation of 1,123 new police officers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The mayor promised the sea of uniformed officers the full support of the city.

New York City is providing the best training, de Blasio said, along with the latest technology like ShotSpotter, iPhones and tablets, “so you have cutting-edge information and capacity to do your job every single day.” ShotSpotter remotely senses gunfire.

“That means the latest bulletproof vests. That means technology that can help you know information immediately so that you’ll be safe and you can protect those around you. That’s what we are committed to. It does cost money, but it’s worth the investment, to say the least,” de Blasio said. Funds for the upgrades were provided by the City Council.

De Blasio said that by this time next year, the increase in patrol strength on city streets will be more than 2,000 officers, “and that has not happened in more than a decade in this city and it’s going to make a big difference for all of us.”

The City Council authorized, in the last budget, a 500-person-plus Critical Response Command to fight terror. “It will be the most advanced anti-terror force of any police department in this country,” de Blasio said.

The beefier force comes at a crucial time, following a year of extreemist attacks around the world.

The Mayor’s expression of support for the cops made an interesting contrast with last year’s graduation, when he was met with boos following the deaths of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu of Brooklyn’s 84th Precinct.

No going back to the bad old days

The mayor said that the city was “not going back to the bad old days” of infamy, in part because of the new additions to the force.

He said that shootings are down more than 2.5 percent from last year, which was one of the city’s lowest years ever for shootings. (Murders, however, are up slightly.)

He also singled out one family with a remarkable history of service.

“It does not get better than the Favale family,” de Blasio said. “Three brothers – Alec, and John, and Steven Favale all graduating together today – the first time anyone can remember this happening in the history of the police academy – it is an amazing day for New York.”

The Favale’s role model is their father, Deputy Inspector Anthony Favale, a 30-year veteran of the NYPD, who was in attendance at the induction.

De Blasio added, “Transit Bureau Police Officer Joyce Dilemmo is their aunt and Police Officer Francesco Favale is their cousin. What an amazing family.”

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito also spoke.