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.
