By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams recently announced the hiring of nearly 1,100 police officer recruits, marking the largest class of officers sworn in by the City Police Department since January 2016.
The 1,093-person class also breaks the record for the largest NYPD class hired during the Adams administration, previously broken in January 2025, which consisted of 1,045 cop candidates. Including last week’s class, already this year, the NYPD has hired 2,911 recruits—the highest number since 2006—with another class still scheduled for this year.
The new class of recruits was sworn in last Tuesday morning and began their training at the Police Academy in College Point last Wednesday. The recruits hail from 51 different countries, speak 34 languages, and include 80 individuals with previous or current military service.
In February, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced a three-part plan to attract more candidates and modernize education requirements to address the hiring crisis the NYPD has faced in recent years. The NYPD was one of the only remaining big-city municipal police forces in the country with a college credit requirement—which limited its ability to compete for applicants with other local agencies and major cities nationwide. As a result of the changes announced in February, the department reduced barriers to employment by reforming the required college credit minimum to enter the Police Academy from 60 credits to 24 credits. The new plan also emphasizes physical fitness by reinstating the previous long-standing requirement of completing a timed 1.5-mile run. Additionally, a recent reassessment conducted by the National College Credit Recommendation Service determined that the completion of the six-month NYPD Police Academy recruit training program is equivalent to 45 college credits, an increase from the previous 36 credits. Graduates of the academy will now enter the NYPD with a minimum of 69 college credits.
Following this expanded eligibility announcement, daily applications increased by almost 332 percent, from an average of 53.5 filings per day to 231.5 per day. During the most recent exam, that average skyrocketed 579 percent, with an average of 363 daily filers. There were more than 5,000 individuals registering to take the latest police exam in just 14 days.
“Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity, and today’s announcement shows we are investing in the future of both,” said Adams. “With nearly 1,100 new police recruits—the most in almost 10 years—beginning their training today thanks to expanded eligibility and modernized educational requirements we announced earlier this year, we are building a stronger and more modern NYPD that reflects the diversity, commitment, and determination of our city. These recruits will be part of the nearly 10,000 police officers who have stepped up to serve under our administration, helping us achieve historic reductions in crime and keeping our communities safe. Together, we are ending the culture of ‘anything goes,’ improving quality of life, and keeping New York City the safest big city in America and the best place to raise a family.”
Tisch called the swearing in of the new academy class “a defining moment for the NYPD and for New York City.”
